


A Creature From the Stars

by venomtots (mercready)



Category: Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: AU, Based on a Tumblr Post, Dumb Alien Falls in Love with Dumb Human Man, Gender Neutral Venom Symbiote (Marvel), I'm Kind of Winging This As I Go, Interspecies Relationship(s), Maria Lives AU, Minor Character(s), Not Quite a Slow Burn But Close, Other, Outcast Venom Symbiote, Symbiote/Human Matchmaker
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-26
Updated: 2019-01-15
Packaged: 2019-08-07 23:07:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 25,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16417766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mercready/pseuds/venomtots
Summary: "There's a creature from the stars inside me. The best of us are nothing to it. It eats them all...and yet, Eddie - it adores you."





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is based on [an anonymous ask and subsequent reply](https://symbidont.tumblr.com/post/179060242607/heres-an-au-the-one-to-escape-was-venom-the-one) by [@symbidont](http://symbidont.tumblr.com) on tumblr, about an AU where Venom escapes instead of Riot and ends up bonding with Maria (and meets Eddie and falls in love like the dumb alien they are). The summary quote is from [an amazing artwork](https://a-reporter-and-his-alien-husband.tumblr.com/post/179238942540/heres-an-au-the-one-to-escape-was-venom-the-one) based on this concept by [@a-reporter-and-his-alien-boyfriend](http://a-reporter-and-his-alien-husband.tumblr.com). Thank you both so much for letting me use this idea! 
> 
> This chapter is more of an intro than anything, but the next chapter will start getting into the deets and good stuff. I hope you'll enjoy!
> 
> You can also check out my tumblr if you like, @venomtots

Earth looked different through human eyes. It smelled different, tasted different, sounded different, _felt_ different. Humans had a funny way of experiencing things; each sense held memories and feelings that Venom couldn’t make sense of, all of them differing from host to host. Humans felt emotions over things that the symbiote would have never thought twice about – never mind that the very idea of emotions was largely a foreign concept to them. Venom could categorize their feelings as a simple set of needs: they needed a host, and they needed food, which meant they  _needed_ to bite some human heads off now and then.

That, and they needed to hide.                                                       

They weren’t quite sure how long it had been since their arrival on Earth; things were different for humans, as they had to count days and weeks and months, while for Venom the passage of time was fluid – a linear progression that didn’t need to be broken up into different parts. It was inconvenient how time seemed to dictate humans’ activities, controlling their movements and forcing them into a schedule. For Venom, time was inconsequential.

They had seen the best and the worst of humans since escaping from the crashed spaceship, hopping from host to host in an effort to distance themselves from the men in the strange suits. In the process of fleeing they had been in the minds of murderers and priests,  drifters and CEOs, police officers and prisoners; some of the darkest thoughts, they discovered, were harboured by the people with the friendliest appearances.

It had been an exhausting task, figuring out human customs and their murky sense of right and wrong. Even after what Venom guessed had been several months, they found themselves no closer to truly understanding the way humans’ brains worked. They just soaked up the chemicals they needed and moved on, occasionally disposing of their less savory hosts in the dark corners of deserted alleys.

Their current habitat was a homeless woman who camped outside of a small grocery store and sang songs for money. She had struggled – Venom could see the memories in her head: rejection, abandonment, hardship. Yet through the darkness that had settled inside her mind shone a light – something like a ray of hope, a resolve that Venom couldn’t name but which seemed to keep her going even on the coldest of nights.

Venom had decided to stay with her for a while, taking the chance to rest, and embraced the rare calm that they didn’t often experience while cohabitating with humans. Maria, as she was called, was a strange woman; she wasn’t like any other hosts that Venom had taken. When they had finally decided to show themselves to her, she didn’t seem fazed, speaking to them as if they were a longtime friend.

**We need food.**

“That’s nothing new, I’m afraid. I’ve got enough change for some cookies from the store nearby,” she had offered.

**Not enough. _Hungry_.**

“Well, honey, hunger is a familiar concept to me. Sometimes you have to make do.”

When Venom _couldn’t_ make do, Maria was surprisingly helpful with alternate food sources.

“There’s some bad guys that like to hang out down that alley. I figure there’s not many people who’d object if they missed their next mugging.”  

She was remarkably un-squeamish about the next part.

“Sometimes you gotta do what you need to stay alive.”

Venom decided that they would do whatever they needed to keep Maria alive for as long as possible.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has read this so far! You all help to keep me going.

The nights in San Francisco were steadily growing colder, and Venom did their best to keep Maria warm. When they weren’t acting as a literal blanket, they warmed her up from the inside as well as they could – but that sort of energy wasn’t unlimited.

**Cold. Need to find warm place. Shelter.**

Maria simply smiled, adjusting the assortment of blankets bundled around her.

“I’m used to the cold, darling, don’t worry. There are worse things out there to endure.”

Venom grumbled softly in protest, partially phasing outside of Maria’s body to rest their head in her lap. She proceeded to pet them lovingly, as though she were caressing a furry pet instead of an alien symbiote. They never really had to worry about anyone noticing the strange sight; Venom realized early on that people did their best not to look in Maria’s direction.

**Could eat someone. Take their shelter.**

“Now, now – what have I told you?” she gently scolded. “Everyone else is just trying to survive too.”

**Don’t care about them. You are cold. _We_ are cold.**

“We’ll live,” Maria replied, patting the head in her lap affectionately. “Now get yourself back inside, dear. We’re about to have company.”

 **Company?** Venom raised their head, looking around alertly for whoever could be approaching.

“It’s okay, it’s good company,” their host assured them. “Just slip back in for a few minutes.”

Reluctantly, Venom melted back into Maria’s body, still watching keenly for any sign of danger. It wouldn’t be the first time that someone had tried to give them a hard time.

They watched as a young man approached the newspaper stands nearby, opening one of them only to close it back with something like a disappointed sigh.

“All empty, huh?”

The man turned toward Maria, who proudly grinned and dramatically lifted one of her blankets to reveal a stack of newspapers concealed neatly underneath.

“Cost ya five dollars.”

**So this is why you took them?**

Maria didn’t answer them as the man walked over and leaned against the brick wall. Venom could tell that she recognized this man, knew him, and rooted around in her brain until they found a name: _Eddie_.

“Five dollars for a paper that’s free?” Eddie teased with a grin.

“I got up and walked _all_ the way over there, and brought the newspapers back here, just to make sure you got a copy,” she replied.

“That’s a bit steep….” he trailed off uncertainly, but the tone in his voice was still playful.

“Tell ya what,” Maria said. “Give me a dollar for a song, and I’ll throw in the paper.”

Eddie shook his head, pulling some cash from his pocket.

“How ‘bout I give you twenty dollars. But not to sing.” He placed the wadded twenty in Maria’s hand and proceeded to pick up a paper. “Thank you.”

Maria’s gaze followed Eddie as he walked past, in the direction of the Chinese grocery shop next door.

“You’re welcome,” she said, slightly taken aback.

“No, _you’re_ welcome,” Eddie replied, sending a kind smile her way before disappearing inside the shop.

As soon as Eddie was gone, Venom poked their head back out, peering over Maria’s shoulder.

**He gave us twenty dollars for nothing.**

“Yeah, that’s Eddie,” Maria sighed. “He can barely afford his rent these days, but for some reason he keeps doin’ this.”

Curious, Venom began to flip through their host’s memories again, but Maria gently swatted them with her hand.

“Stop lookin’ through my head like a photo album,” she reprimanded. “If you wanna know something, I can tell you.”

**Looking is quicker. Easy.**

“Yeah, well it’s not every day I get to have conversations like this. What’s the point of you bein’ here if I can’t talk your head off?” she teased.

**Fine. Tell me about him.**

“That’s Eddie Brock,” Maria explained, leaning back against the wall as she made herself as cozy as was possible outside on a street corner. “He used to be a pretty well-known journalist – brought some important people down for corruption. He did some stories on us, too – the people livin’ on the streets. This city sure doesn’t care about us, but Eddie did.”

Venom could feel a flutter of warmhearted affection as Maria spoke, fleeting fragments of memories floating around in her head.

“Anyway, he interviewed that Carlton Drake guy – he’s the head of that Life Foundation place, the –”

 **Life Foundation?** Venom immediately perked up, and they could feel Maria frown as their fear suddenly rippled through her like a shock wave.

“Yeah, the Life Foundation. You familiar with ‘em?”

 **They brought me here** , Venom replied.

They hadn’t bothered mentioning the organization when they had first bonded with Maria, considering it unimportant; that, and they couldn’t be entirely sure she wouldn’t turn them in if it resulted in a hefty reward.

That was before. They trusted Maria, now – as much as they could trust a human, they supposed.

“Well, who woulda thought? Drake bringin' aliens to Earth.” Maria chuckled a bit. “I guess they’re probably lookin’ for _you_ , huh?”

**Most likely.**

“Don’t worry. I won’t turn us in.” She reached up and patted their head reassuringly. “And trust me – I doubt any of those goons in suits will come lookin’ around _here_ , of all places.”

But Venom had seen what Maria hadn’t: strange men that didn’t belong, skulking around the streets and approaching other people like her – people that would often disappear by the next day. They had been on edge for a while now, with the prickling sense that something very wrong was happening.

“You sure are buzzing,” she commented. “Everything okay?”

**Fine. Tell me more about Eddie Brock.**

“Alright then.” She chuckled. “You sure are interested.”

Clearing her throat, Maria continued, seemingly delighted at the opportunity to monologue.

“So anyway, he ruined the interview with Drake – called him out on all these experimental trials he’d been runnin’ for his pharmacy company. People were dyin’, y’know. Eddie’s boss wasn’t too happy, and so he got fired for it. Then his fiancée dumped him – he’d gotten the information about the deaths from her e-mail, ‘cause you see, she was a lawyer defending The Life Foundation. So he’s got no career anymore, _and_ no fiancée. It’s the only reason he comes by these parts, anyway. He had to move into a new place once his girl kicked him out.”

**He smelled like alcohol.**

“Well, it’d hit anybody pretty hard,” Maria replied, a bit amused. “Everyone copes differently.”

**He seems like a loser.**

Maria shook her head.

“He’s one of the rare few who treat people like me like we’re human. He’s a good man.”

**You like him?**

“Sure.” Maria smiled and rubbed the symbiote’s head. “You’d like him too, if you got to know him.”

**Should I come out next time?**

“Uh…I don’t know if that would be the _best_ approach. Eddie’s nice, but I can’t predict how he’d react to an alien poking its head out mid-conversation.”

**You know, I was a loser on my planet, too.**

“Were ya now?” Maria chuckled. “You wanna tell me about _that_?”

Venom shrank a bit under her hand, giving something akin to a whine – a sign that they most definitely did not wish to speak about the matter any further.

“Fair enough. We’ve all got our demons.” She smiled and pulled the blankets up over the both of them, as Venom moved to curl around her shoulders. “We should work on getting some shut-eye.”

**You sleep. I’ll watch.**

“Don’t go around biting people’s heads off while I’m out, ya hear?” she warned. “We’ve been doing good with nobody botherin’ us so far.”

**Don’t worry. I’ll stay here, with you.**

“Good. Y’know, it’s kinda nice – like havin’ a guard dog. I don’t gotta worry about people givin' me trouble with you here to protect me.”

**Because I will eat them.**

“Well, most guard dogs just bark and chase people,” she replied.

**I can do that, too.**

Laughing, Maria settled back and closed her eyes. “You just focus on keepin’ us warm out here, okay?”

 **Of course**. Venom curled safely around Maria, radiating their familiar heat. **Would still be better to have shelter.**

“Well, darling, beggars can’t be choosers.”

She used that phrase a lot, and Venom wasn’t entirely sure they understood it. They didn’t see why they both should have to suffer, when they had the ability to simply take whatever they needed. Anytime Venom pointed this out, Maria shushed them, saying that nothing in this world was worth having if it meant taking it from someone else.

That wasn’t to say there wasn’t the occasional exception. Their host was fairly understanding about their dietary requirements, and there was certainly no shortage of criminals lurking about that sufficed as a quick dinner. Their leftover wallets usually paid for other essentials, including food for Maria that didn’t consist of human meat and organs.

Venom had tried pick-pocketing a couple times (people walking by in a hurry, paying no attention – they were a perfect target), but Maria was quick to reprimand them, and that put an end to that. As always, they found humans’ fluctuating sense of morality to be both a hindrance and a conundrum.

Disguising themselves as Maria’s usual nightly blanket, Venom rested against her, keeping an eye out for anyone who looked to do harm. There were always a few, but they found that – surprisingly – most humans were content to just go about their day, acting like they didn’t exist – as if their presence was the equivalent of a pile of dog shit on the sidewalk.

Except for Eddie Brock.

For some reason, he was better than the others. Venom could feel the trust and affection Maria had for him, could see the kindness he’d shown her in the passing memories they had caught. This man, who by all accounts had very little going for him at the moment, made the effort to be nice to them – to give them money, even when he apparently had no job. Venom still didn’t know much about humans, but this sort of thing didn’t seem commonplace – Maria had even said that it was rare.

Humans were curious, and Eddie Brock even more so.

Venom hoped that he would show up again tomorrow.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again to everyone reading and leaving the lovely reviews! I hope you will enjoy the next chapter!

A couple of days passed in which the only eventful thing to happen was a small brawl outside one of the bars nearby. Venom had grown increasingly bored with the humans they saw pass by every day, accelerating their footsteps and averting their eyes as soon as they glimpsed Maria. They watched them on their phones, in their suits, carrying on like they were in charge of the world, and they felt bitter. Venom wasn’t sure why; they didn’t sense this animosity from Maria, and when they brought it up she gently brushed them off.

**They think they are better than us.**

“Everyone thinks they’re better than everybody,” she replied. “Doesn’t mean they are.”

**You are too kind with them.**

“A little bit of kindness never hurt anybody.”

**But they don’t show the same kindness to you.**

“My, you’re awfully cranky today.” Maria adjusted her position and patted her lap. “Come on out.”

**I don’t wish to hear another sermon about how to treat others.**

“Who said I was gonna preach? Come on, now.”

Venom reluctantly materialized out of Maria’s body, resting partially in her lap again. She stroked the top of their head, humming softly.

“You’re probably hungry, huh? I know it’s been a couple days since we had your favorite.”

**We could eat that businessman that spat at you yesterday.**

“We’ll get you something tonight, how’s that sound?”

Venom purred at this, vibrating against Maria’s hand. She chuckled, drawing the blanket around her shoulders tighter; Venom noticed this, and quickly spread out to cover their host’s arms and shoulders.

**You will get sick in this cold.**

“Oh shush, we’re fine.”

**I am fine, yes. You are not.**

“Love, trust me, I’ve been takin’ care of myself out here a lot longer than you’ve been here.”

**You are stubborn.**

“Well, we make good company then.”

The days had been growing shorter, and it wasn’t long before dark fell, and Venom began to buzz with impatience and hunger; it _had_ been days since they’d eaten a proper meal, and they were feeling it. They kept their eyes alert for any potential edible candidates among the usual nightly crowd.

**What about that one?**

“What did he do?”

**He looks tasty.**

“Now, you know that’s not how we decide things,” she chastised.

They argued over a few more possibilities until Maria shushed them, ushering her companion back in her body.

**Company again?**

Maria didn’t answer, instead addressing the familiar man walking towards them.

“Eddie, what brings you to our neck of the woods tonight?”

“Oh, you know – same as always.” He returned her grin, pausing to stand by with his hands in his pockets.

“How’s life treatin’ you, Eddie?”

“Could be better, could be worse.”

Venom observed the interaction with genuine curiosity. Besides other homeless people, Eddie was the only one who ever addressed them or bothered to hold a conversation. He didn’t seem to get anything out of it, apart from a newspaper every now and then – which was free, of course.

**Does he pity us?**

Maria faltered for a moment in her conversation, and Eddie gave her a puzzled look.

“Everything okay?”

“No…I mean, yes – everything is fine.” She quickly recovered, laughing away the awkwardness. “Just lose my train of thought sometimes.”

**If he doesn’t pity us, why does he do this? What does he gain?**

Maria coughed and patted her chest, which Venom assumed was her way of telling them to be quiet, but they didn’t care to listen at the moment.

**I want to know. I want to know why. What does he think of us?**

“Eddie – uh, sorry, I’m a bit off today,” Maria lied. “Been feelin’ a bit mucky.”

“Oh – have you, uh, eaten today?”

**NO.**

“I can grab some food from Mrs. Chen’s if you want.”

**YES.**

“Oh, Eddie, that’s kind of you, but –”

**BUT nothing, he is offering to feed us!**

“ – I’ll be okay –“

**No you won’t!**

“Are you sure?” Eddie raised an eyebrow. “You don’t look great, Maria.”

**FOOD.**

“Okay, jeez, fine,” Maria whispered, and Venom knew she was talking to them. Addressing Eddie, she put on an apologetic smile. “I’ll just take something simple, if you insist. Thanks, Eddie.”

“Yeah, sure.” He smiled, still watching her a bit strangely. “I’ll be back.”

As Eddie headed into the grocery shop, Maria glared down at her chest, hands on her hips.

“And just _what_ was that all about?”

**We are _hungry_.**

“I told you we’d get somethin’ tonight, didn’t I?”

**He offered. He wants us to be fed.**

“Yeah, so? He’s just bein’ nice.”

**Because he pities us?**

“No –“

**How do you know?**

“Because Eddie isn’t like that.”

**How can you be sure?**

“Why the third degree all of a sudden?” She raised an eyebrow. “You sure are bein’ a handful tonight. What’s gotten into you?”

**I want to know why. Want to know why he does it.**

“I told you already – he’s just a nice person.”

But that wasn’t just it. Venom sensed something in Eddie; it called to them, like an ugly antique that they couldn’t keep their eyes off of. Perhaps it was because he seemed like such a loser; that was something Venom had no trouble relating to. Perhaps it was because he was the only person who looked at them with softness instead of repulsion or anger.

**I want to meet him.**

“Say _what_ now?”

**I want to meet him – Eddie.**

“I don’t think –”

**You said I would like him.**

“Yes, but –”

**So, I want to meet him.**

Maria gave a heavy sigh, and Venom could tell she was doing her best to keep a level voice.

“Darling, I think we should be a bit more cautious about that. I’m sure Eddie would like you very much, but let’s…take it slow.”

**What does that mean?**

“I mean, we can’t just have you pop out an’ introduce yourself all of a sudden. Let me just…talk to him. But not tonight.”

**Then when?**

“We’ll see, my dear. Have some patience.”

Venom began to grumble, but then Eddie was coming out of the store and they didn’t have another chance to argue.

“Here, grabbed a few things that won’t expire too quick.” He handed them a bag that felt pleasantly heavy in their hands. “Sorry it’s not much, but –”

“Eddie,” Maria interrupted, waving a hand. “It’s more than enough. You don’t have to do any of this at all.”

“Just look after yourself, okay?”

“Don’t worry.” Maria assured him with a smile. “I’m being well taken care of.”

As soon as Eddie left, Venom slipped out and explored the bag of food they’d been given.

**Cookies – chocolate ones. The good stuff.**

“So this should hold you over for the night, then,” Maria replied, crossing her arms. “No need to get up and mess around.”

**But you said –**

“That was before, wasn’t it? You seemed content with this – we don’t wanna feed you _too_ much, do we?” she teased.

**You are being cruel.**

“Aw, don’t give me that.” Maria reached down and patted their head. “We’ll have a good dinner tomorrow, okay? Promise.”

**You will keep that promise.**

“Of course I will – who do you take me for?”

Munching on one of the cookies, Venom used a tendril to offer another to Maria; she smiled and accepted, leaning against the wall and closing her eyes as she chewed.

“So, you wanna meet Eddie, huh?”

**I do.**

“Alright. Tell you what – you behave yourself, and I’ll see what I can do.”

**I always behave myself.**

“You have your off days.”

**Like when?**

“Well, when you tried to eat that jogger, for one.”

**That was his fault! He ran right into us!**

“You gotta watch that temper of yours. It’s gonna get us in trouble.”

**It’s not a temper. It’s self-preservation.**

“Well you need to stop self-preservin’ so much. Let me call the shots when it comes to interacting with humans. Including Eddie.”

Venom grumbled again as they fished a few more cookies from the bag, eating them as they idly rested in Maria’s lap.

**No promises.**

 

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

Human dreams were unsolvable puzzles to Venom. They were a hazy amalgamation of fears and desires that melted into each other and became something almost fantastical; things happened in dreams that weren’t possible in the real world, things that couldn’t be understood outside the context of a human’s subconscious. It was one of the things about humans that Venom found the most baffling, but also the most fascinating.

They saw Maria’s dreams, sometimes. They were usually peaceful. Venom liked to sit in on them occasionally, floating in the weightless stream of unconsciousness and watching the images like an out of sync television program. Sometimes the images came accompanied by feelings: sadness, contentment, fear. There were some that Venom didn’t yet understand.

The dreams were about Eddie this time. Venom could see his face floating in and out, signature crooked smile on his face and hands shoved awkwardly in his pockets. His image was accompanied by a warm feeling: Venom recognized it as _safe_. It was the same feeling they had with Maria – the knowledge that they were secure, protected. _This person’s gonna make everything alright._

Eddie’s figure became clearer, more defined, and the rest of the dreamy fog seemed to melt away. It was then that Venom was greeted with another feeling, this one completely foreign to them. It was as if a hollow chasm had opened up inside of their being, and they were overcome with a pain they didn’t understand. It was like… _hunger_ , but different. Not the kind of hunger where they wanted to eat. This was the kind of intangible hunger that Venom was only starting to learn – the kind of hunger when people _wanted_ things, so desperately they could feel it in their bones. It was powerful – as if they hadn’t even known they were hungry, but if they could satisfy this one single urge then they would never starve again. Somewhere deep down they knew that if they could have this – _just this –_ then they would never need anything else.

Venom was perplexed by the feeling, and even more so when they realized that it wasn’t coming from Maria. This was _their_ feeling, Venom’s and Venom’s alone.

Eddie began to fade, as did the dream, and without any proper warning Venom was thrust back into their usual scenery of dull passersby on the street.

Maria gave a small startled noise as she woke, shivering as though something had suddenly chilled her.

“Honey, wow – what’s going on with you?” She rubbed her arms, pulling their blankets tighter. “You’re buzzin’ like a bumblebee – what’s wrong?”

Venom couldn’t find the words at first. There was just the image of Eddie, still etched into their memory like a fresh scar.

**We need to eat.**

Maria frowned, rubbing some of the lasting sleep out of her eyes.

“We just woke up, darling. And it’s broad daylight.”

**Hungry. Please.**

“Wow. You’ve never used those manners before.” Maria chuckled slightly before stretching and letting out a long yawn. “Alright. Let’s go see what we can scrounge up.”

They walked around for a while, but failed to come across anyone that fell into their category of appropriate victims; even in the dark alleyways, the only people lurking about were other homeless, or the occasional junkie looking to get a fix.

 **Can we not compromise this once?** Venom asked a bit irritably, moving about restlessly inside of their host.

“You know the rules, love.” Maria patted her chest sympathetically. “Let’s go look in the dumpsters, hm?”

Venom always hated when they had to resort to the dumpsters. They didn’t have the same concept of shame that humans did, thus preventing them the pure embarrassment such an act would usually warrant, but they still felt incensed by the mere fact they had to settle for such a thing. If Maria would let them, Venom could get them _real_ food, _good_ food – not mere scraps from the trash.

But of course, she refused. And that’s why they were munching on half-eaten hamburgers and cold fries in the alley behind a McDonald’s.

**Do you never get tired of this?**

“This?”

**Settling for less – scraps. Being cold at night. Being spat on. We could give you much better. We could –**

“Listen, darling, I appreciate that you’re always tryin’ to help. But there’s some things you learn while you’re out here. Some things you have to decide for yourself in the beginning. And one of those is how far you wanna sink to keep yourself comfortable. Some people don’t have any qualms about turnin’ dirty to help themselves; I’m not one of them. You stop firmly drawin’ the line somewhere, keep movin’ it lower and lower, and eventually you lose all concept of a line all together. You can lose your humanity that way. And I don’t intend to,” she concluded pointedly, dusting the salty residue of the fries off on her pants. “We’ll go lookin’ for something again tonight, okay?”

Venom gave a small murmur of agreement, laced with frustration.

“Oh, don’t be like that.” She smiled and patted her chest again. “We’ll get by.”

They turned and headed back in the direction of their usual spot, bringing a few more scraps with them in a bag.

**Do you think Eddie will come today?**

Maria gave a small chuckle. “Why, you got a crush?” she teased.

**I don’t know what that means. But he is nice to us. Maybe he’ll give us more food.**

“We can’t rely on other people to hand us things like that,” Maria replied. “They have their own worries, too. Especially Eddie.”

**We could help him, too.**

“And how do you propose we do that?” Their host raised an eyebrow. “Let me guess – by eating some more people?”

**A lot of problems can be solved that way.**

“Well that’s not how we’re gonna solve ‘em, ‘kay?”

 **You are boring** , Venom lamented, but they didn’t mean it.

As they rounded a corner, Venom was suddenly overcome with an uneasy feeling; Maria must have felt it, too, as she made a small startled sound, rubbing her arms.

“Jeez, now you’re givin’ me goosebumps – what’s goin’ on?”

**Get back – hide.**

Venom didn’t wait for Maria to obey the command before moving her body themselves, ducking behind the alley corner and peering around.

There, the source of Venom’s unease: a man in a suit, addressing one of the frequent transients they saw in the streets. They were too far away to hear what was being said, but the man in the suit was handing the other guy a card as he was talking. The homeless man hesitated, and the suited man seemed to encourage him, offering a crisp, business-like smile before turning and walking away.

“What was all that about?”

**Don’t know. Don’t like it. Seen those men before, talking. Talking to people like _us_.**

They came out from the street corner now, walking briskly over to the man who had received the card. He was sitting against the building, turning the piece of paper over in his hand.

“Excuse us – what did that man just give you?”

The man looked up at them with sagging eyes that suggested he’d already started on his alcohol intake for the day.

“Oh. Some suit from a fancy science place. Gave me this card, said they needed volunteers for some kinda ‘speriments.” He offered her the card, and Maria took it from him. “Gotta say, the money’s temptin’. I’ll prolly give ‘em a call later when I’m a bit more sobered up.”

They looked at the card, which on the surface was a simple white square with small, professional print. As soon as they saw the logo, Venom started inside of Maria, causing her to drop the card.

**No. Bad people! Don’t!**

“Shh, calm down,” Maria whispered. She knelt down to address the homeless man again. “Have you heard of these, uh…Life Foundation people?”

“It’d be hard _not_ to know who they are. They do some science-y stuff, got that rocket business goin’ on last I heard.”

**Bad people! Don’t trust them!**

“Listen, dear – what’s your name?”

“Uh – Rob.”

“Rob, listen,” Maria said quietly. “These people – I don’t think you should trust them.”

Rob frowned, barking out a small laugh. “Not trust the people offerin’ me a thousand dollars? Right.”

**Dangerous! Have others of my kind! Using them!**

“These people, they…they could be dangerous. There’s no telling what kind of experiments they’re doin’ on people.”

“Well, lady, I’m at a point in my life where I don’t really got a lot to lose. If my life is one of ‘em, well,” he shrugged, “there’s lots of worse ways to go. Sittin’ around in this alley is one of ‘em. So thanks for the sermon, but I’ll take my thousand bucks and risk it.”

Venom could feel Maria’s frustration as she tried to reason with the man, but even she knew when to give up. Giving a sigh, she patted Rob’s arm and gave him a final desperate, pleading look.

“Be careful, alright?”

“Whatever ya say, lady.”

Resigned, they went back to their spot next to Mrs. Chen’s store and settled into their familiar blankets. It had warmed up a bit since they’d first left, but Venom still spread out over Maria’s shoulders and hugged her tightly. It was more to quell both of their anxieties than a desire for warmth.

“You really think these Life Foundation are bad people, huh?”

**Know it. They came and took us – want to use us.**

“For what?”

**Don’t know. Bad things.**

“How do you know that?”

**What else would it be?**

“Maybe…” But Maria faltered, and Venom knew that even she didn’t believe whatever reassuring optimism was about to come out of her mouth. “I don’t know. Maybe…hopefully we’re wrong.”

Neither of them felt that they were.

They wished Eddie would come.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that Eddie doesn't appear in this chapter, but I've got some good ideas planned ahead and I hope you all will enjoy them! :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter came out a lot faster than I was expecting, so I decided to go ahead and post! I'm working up to the better stuff, but I don't want to rush too fast. I hope you all will understand and enjoy :)
> 
> As always, you can check out the rest of my stuff at my tumblr @venomtots.

After seeing the man in the suit with his business card, Venom watched over Maria more closely than ever. They tried to convince her to move around more ( **You’re a sitting duck staying here all the time!** ) but she adamantly refused (“This is _my_ spot, and I _like_ it.”). The men in the suits didn’t scare Maria much, but they scared Venom. They didn’t want them coming anywhere near them, and they would do whatever it took to ensure that they didn’t.

Venom began to have their own dreams in conjunction with Maria’s – but theirs were more like nightmares: tall men in dark suits, shoving them in small containers – poking and prodding them with things. They could avoid these images by simply staying out of Maria’s head while she was sleeping, but Venom couldn’t resist the other dreams – the ones that made the nightmares almost worth it. If they concentrated hard enough, sometimes they could push aside the nightmare they were in and make their way into that comforting space – the safe place, the one with Maria’s dreams, the one with _Eddie._

Eddie would make everything better. Somehow Venom knew this, felt it without it being vocalized. Venom wasn’t sure why they had this feeling; it was almost ingrained into their being, in the same way one _knows_ that eating something will stop the feeling of hunger. They didn’t need to justify it – they just _knew_.

* * *

**Tell me more about Eddie.**

Maria paused in the midst of munching on some stale chips, blinking a couple times to register what Venom had said.

“What else you wanna know about him, love?”

**Everything.**

Their host chuckled, wiping her hands off and stashing the chip bag away.

“Well, I certainly don’t know _everything_ about Eddie. Just what he’s told me.”

**How long have you known him?**

“Well, he got canned about six months ago, so I’d say…probably a little less than that.”

**And he’s always nice?**

“Yeah, he’s always nice,” Maria replied with a laugh.

**Where does he live?**

“Why would I know somethin’ like that? You planning on stalkin’ him?”

**Just curious.**

“Well I dunno, love, sorry. Maybe you should ask him,” she teased. “Get his phone number while you’re at it.”

 **I know that’s only a joke.** **Why would I want his phone number?**

Maria shook her head, still giggling.

“You’re somethin’ else.”

**Why can’t we stay with him?**

“Huh?” Maria was taken aback by the question this time. “What d’you mean ‘stay with him’?”

**He has a home. A shelter. Warm place. Why can’t we stay?**

It was rare that Maria hesitated to answer a question. Sometimes she would pause and think it over, so that she could provide a clear and concise answer for the symbiote, but this was a heavier pause – a pause because it was a question she knew how to answer, but that answer was more complicated than perhaps she could even begin to explain. Venom could feel the internal debate she was having with herself, wondering whether to give the blunt truth, or a sugar-coated answer.

**He’s nice to us. He seems to like us. If he likes us, why can’t we stay?**

“Oh, honey…” Maria sighed, folding her hands in her lap and looking down. “Things aren’t always that simple.”

**Why not?**

“We can’t just burden someone like that –”

**We are _not_ a burden.**

Maria smiled gently, as though apologizing.

“You’re right, darling. I know we’re not.”

She turned her hands over in her lap and opened the palms.

“Come out – let me see you.”

Venom hesitated, but then slowly materialized in her hands – a small form looking up at her with wide, opalescent eyes.

“There. That’s better,” she said softly. She smiled down at them lovingly, and Venom was overwhelmed with an emotion they hadn’t learnt yet – a woman holding a young child, setting them on her lap and calmly explaining why some people had to go hungry, why some people sat out on the streets while others lived in homes; the feeling of being torn between the desire to protect them against the harsh unfairness of the world, but to also prepare them for that inevitable unyielding cruelty. There was no good compromise.

“Sometimes, love…things just _are_ how they are. Eddie’s a good person, but we can’t ask him to make that sacrifice. He has his own problems. We don’t need to cram ourselves into his already difficult life.”

**Could his life be any more difficult than ours?**

“The pains of life are subjective, darling.”

**He has a home. We do not.**

“Yes, and that’s _his_ home. He has a right to that, and we can’t just ask him to scoot over and make room for two people he passes on the street.”

**But he doesn’t pass us. He _talks_ to us. He _helps_ us.**

“Of course, dear, but there is a limit. Everyone has one, and I’m sure that just like anyone else, Eddie draws the line at letting near strangers stay in his home.”

**Have you asked?**

Maria sighed, and Venom felt another emotion – a woman, exhausted from a day of answering questions from a small human that barely reaches her knees; there are too many questions, and she doesn’t have all the answers. But the child wants to know.

“It’s not something we can just ask of Eddie – or of anyone, for that matter. Now let’s let it be, alright?”

**Fine.**

“I’m sorry I can’t give you very much,” she confessed. “I know you must get so lonely and bored here.”

Venom immediately wrapped themselves around Maria’s hands, squeezing firmly.

**Not lonely with you. You’re good.**

Maria smiled, gently squeezing the symbiote in return.

“Thanks, love. You’re not so bad yourself.”

* * *

It was Venom who alerted Maria to Eddie approaching that night, buzzing excitedly inside of her, and it was all she could do to keep them inside her body.

“Calm down, would ya? It’s just Eddie.”

Venom moved around restlessly inside of their host before finally settling down, curling up warmly inside her chest. They watched as Eddie greeted Maria – same kind but weary smile, awkward posture, dirty hoodie that could probably use a laundry day.

**He looks tired. Has he been sleeping?**

“Eddie – you…you doin’ okay? Look a bit peakish.”

“Hard to get good sleep when your neighbor likes to play heavy metal at all hours of the night,” Eddie replied. He laughed it off, but it was tired.

**Wanna talk. Tell him to sit.**

“Why don’t you sit down and hang here for a bit?” Maria suggested, patting the blankets next to her. “You can give me all the updates on the exciting life of Eddie Brock.”

“Nothin’ exciting to update you on,” he replied, but sat down nonetheless, giving a heavy sigh. “What’s new with you?”

“Oh, you know.” Maria smiled. “Same as always. Maybe I’ll win the lottery tomorrow. Ya never know.”

“Tell you what – I’ll enter, too. Whichever of us wins, we split it with the other. Sound like a deal?”

“Deal.”

They shook on it, but it was a moot gesture that held no merit. It was a feel-good type of banter – Venom had learnt to recognize this by now.

**Tell him about the Life Foundation – the man in the suit.**

“Saw somethin’ strange yesterday,” Maria began.

“Yeah?”

“Some stiff in a suit – handed a business card to one of the men around here. The suit was from the Life Foundation – guy said he’d offered him a thousand bucks to participate in some kind of experiments.”

Eddie’s eyes widened noticeably.

“Experiments? On humans? The Life Foundation?”

“That’s what it seems like.”

Eddie shook his head, his expression suddenly angry.

“No – fuck it. I’m done with Carlton Drake and all of his bullshit. Let him do whatever he wants.”

“You don’t mean that, Eddie. You knew what he was doing. You tried -”

“Yeah, I tried – and look where it got me.” He gestured to himself, as if to serve as its own explanation.

**Not homeless, though.**

Maria didn’t relay that comment.

“You’ll come back, Eddie,” she replied reassuringly. “You’re a great reporter. You’re passionate about what you do.”

“Doesn’t matter if no one will hire me as soon as they realize who I am.”

Maria breezily waved a hand. “They’ll all forget about it eventually.”

“Well, ‘til ‘eventually’ comes, I still gotta pay rent. And chasing Carlton Drake around isn’t gonna help me with that.”

“What if people are getting hurt, Eddie? What if they’re dying?”

Eddie shrugged, but it was half-hearted and hesitant. He had a look on his face as though he were internally debating with himself.

**We can help. We know –**

Maria discreetly shook her head, silencing the symbiote.

“Whatever you do, be careful, Eddie. I think something really bad is goin’ on.”

Eddie offered her a reassuring smile.

“Don’t worry. I may be stupid, but I’m not crazy enough to go diggin’ around in all that again.” He stood back up with an aching groan. “You take care of yourself – if there really are people from the Life Foundation snatching up volunteers, you should watch out. Don’t get sucked into all that nonsense.”

“I won’t, Eddie.” Maria smiled. “Thanks for caring about us.”

Eddie frowned slightly. “Us?”

“Oh – I just mean me, and well – everyone else here in our little community. You know, we appreciate what you did. What you do.”

“Oh, yeah. Uh. Thanks.” He offered his own awkward smile. “I’ll see you around, then.”

“See you, Eddie.”

**Wait-**

Maria caught Venom as they materialized out of her body, their head looming in Eddie’s direction as he walked away.

“Hey – what d’you think you’re doing?” she asked indignantly.

**He left.**

“Yeah, well, he’s got a life,” she replied.

**Wanted him to stay.**

At this Maria chuckled, shaking her head.

“You’re pretty smitten with him, huh?”

**Don’t know what you mean.**

“Don’t worry about it. It’s cute, but you can’t just go poppin’ out every time you get the whim. It’s too risky.”

**You said I could meet him.**

“ _No_. I said _maybe_ , _eventually_ we could work out an introduction. Don’t go gettin’ all impatient on me.”

**I am not patient.**

“Yeah, that’s obvious.” She pinched the side of Venom’s face affectionately. “You gotta be careful. Especially with those Life Foundation people sniffing around, right?”

Venom hung their head, leaning into Maria’s chest where she held them against her and patted their head. That strange, aching hunger had briefly surfaced again, that desperate _wanting_ that they couldn’t describe properly. Now that Eddie was gone, it was being replaced by a deep hollow sensation that Venom had only experienced before they’d found Maria – that feeling of loss, of homesickness and loneliness all rolled into one.

“Oh, honey – don’t get all mopey on me,” Maria soothed gently. “We’ll see him again. And I’ll figure out somethin’, don’t worry. We just gotta warm him up to the idea first, is all.”

**You think he will like me?**

“Well _I_ like you. I don’t see why he wouldn’t.”

Venom realized that while Maria was confident in this assumption, _they_ were afraid. They had known rejection – from their own kind and other humans alike – and it was easy to believe that one would be accepting until a literal alien was standing right in front of them. When it came to it, fear and distrust outweighed kindness a whole lot of the time. Maybe not in Maria’s case – but every human wasn’t Maria.

They had never cared about being accepted by humans. Before Maria, humans were disposable rides, soft and fresh meat for the taking when they were done; but Maria had accepted them, had treated them like they were _there_ , like they were a _person_. Venom had grown to like the feeling. They wanted that same acceptance from Eddie – they didn’t know why, but they _felt it_ , like something deep in their being was pulling them in that direction, as if the stars were aligning to point them there.

Deep down, they knew that they just _needed_ Eddie, even if they didn’t fully understand why or how. It was like having an incomplete puzzle, and finding that last piece that would put it all together. The only problem was making Eddie realize and understand – and hoping desperately that he would.

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I want to thank everyone for all of their lovely comments and kudos (I will finish responding to all the comments soon!) I honestly cannot properly express how happy and grateful I am to everyone reading and reviewing this story. Every time I hear the e-mail sound on my phone, I get excited because it's possibly another comment (ha) You guys are wonderful and I'm so glad you're enjoying this fic so far. I hope this chapter will be to your liking!
> 
> You can also visit my tumblr, @venomtots.

Venom knew little about Maria’s life before homelessness. She was careful to keep those memories buried deep, and Venom respectfully hadn’t gone digging. Sometimes they caught glimpses in her dreams, where the things she suppressed were finally free to roam. They had seen the blurry image of a small apartment, a boy and a girl, and Maria smiling – a tired but healthier looking Maria, one who hadn’t had to rummage through fast food dumpsters just to keep from starving.  Venom had asked about them once, the boy and the girl, but the grief they had felt from Maria when she quietly dodged the question kept them from inquiring again.

Early on Venom had wondered why she was so receptive to having them inhabit her body, but after seeing those memories they had a feeling they knew the answer.

They hadn’t encountered anymore suits handing out business cards, but it didn’t feel like they had disappeared. Instead, it felt like someone was watching them; Venom thought they caught a glimpse of a man staring at them one day, but he seemed to look away before they could tell for sure. It was rare that people stared at them, most of them going out of their way to avoid eye contact. This unsettled Venom, and they didn’t like it. When they voiced these worries to Maria, however, she shrugged.

“Let ‘em stare. It’s not the worst thing people do.”

**Don’t trust them. Think they’re with the bad people.**

“Well we’re not gonna be volunteering for any experiments, so we’re fine. Don’t worry so much, love.”

**Do you think Eddie will help? Stop the Life Foundation?**

“I dunno. He’s pretty sore about all the stuff that happened because of Drake. I don’t blame him for wanting to leave that stuff alone.”

**But he wants to help people. People need help.**

“I know, darling. But sometimes those things aren’t so simple.”

**Nothing is ever simple with you humans.**

Maria chuckled lightly.

“Yeah, I suppose that’s true. But I think there’s a beauty to that complexity.”

**I think it’s confusing.**

Venom said that, but they would be lying if they didn’t find human brains slightly fascinating; hardly anything was black and white, everything falling into some in-between grey area that Venom had never considered. To them, things were one way or another: good or bad, right or wrong. But humans didn’t think that way. Eddie probably didn’t, either.

“So you’re a simple species, huh?” she teased.

 **More advanced than humans** , Venom replied a bit defensively. **Don’t worry over moral things. Do what needs to be done.**

“Okay – moral dilemma for you: you’re bein’ held hostage with a bunch of other people, and one person you really care about. The bad guy tells you to shoot that person – if you don’t, he’s goin’ to shoot them _and_ another innocent hostage. What do you do?”

**Simple. Eat the bad guy.**

“That’s cheatin’,” Maria laughed. “That’s not an option.”

**Not for you humans, maybe.**

“Okay, so you would eat the bad guy. What about this: two people are about to die. Say they’re hangin’ off a building or somethin’. One of them is someone you really care about. You can only save one. Who do you choose?”

**The person I care about, obviously. Who cares about the other?**

“Okay. What if they were both people you cared about?”

**That isn’t a moral dilemma, just stupid. And cruel. Why do humans torture themselves with things that will never happen?**

“The beauty of the human brain, my dear.”

**As I said, humans are confusing.**

“That’s not an inaccurate statement,” Maria replied with a small smile. “We tend to confuse ourselves sometimes.”

Annoyingly, Venom still ended up considering it. They liked Maria, and they liked Eddie. If the both of them were in danger, and they could only save one, they wouldn’t like that situation very much. If it came down to it, Venom thought, they would just have to find a way to save them both.

Maria hummed to herself as she got up and walked over to the newspaper stand, taking out all the copies as she usually did and bringing them back to store under her blanket.

**Is Eddie coming tonight?**

“He might. I don’t have a GPS on him to tell for sure,” she joked.

**You are making fun of me.**

“No I’m not,” she replied with a grin. “It’s cute that you like him so much.”

**You like him too.**

“Yeah, but not like –” She paused, shaking her head with a small smile. “Never mind. I’m sure he’ll come by tonight.”

**Can I meet him this time?**

“We’ll play it by ear, okay?”

**Does that mean yes?**

“It means we’ll see, love.” She smiled and patted the small head that was peeking out over her shoulder. “You sure you’re ready?”

**Why wouldn’t I be?**

“You prepared for if it goes south?”

**What do you mean?**

“I mean if, on some small chance, Eddie doesn’t take too well to aliens?”

Venom was quiet for a moment. They didn’t know if Maria had sensed their previous worries about it, but they weren’t going to be the one to bring it up.

**Then he won’t matter to us.**

“That’s what you say.” Maria sighed gently. “But we both know it’s gonna hurt if his reaction is negative, don’t we?”

  **I don’t care about other humans’ approval** , Venom insisted.

But this wasn’t just any other human; this was _Eddie._

“Just don’t want you to get hurt, love.”

**I won’t.**

Venom wondered if Maria could tell when they were lying.

* * *

Eddie came around the usual time, long after dark had fallen and the streetlamps had turned on. He still looked tired – even more so than the last time, if that was possible. His hair was messed and his clothes were wrinkled, and Venom could smell the faint trace of alcohol around him. Despite all this, he still greeted them with a weary smile and wave.

“Hey there, Eddie.” Maria returned the greeting, pulling out the newspaper she had saved earlier. “Come for the usual?”

“As always,” he replied. He reached out for the paper, but Maria snatched it back toward her with a playful smirk.

“Ten dollars this time.”

“Ten dollars?” Eddie laughed, crossing his arms. “Why’re we goin’ up now?”

“Inflation.” Maria shrugged. “Gotta put food on this table.”

“Okay, okay.” He shook his head, pulling out his wallet. “I only got ten this time, so no tip.”

“Or,” Maria interrupted, taking his arm as he went to pull out the money. She motioned for him to come closer, and Eddie leaned down curiously. “You come with me back in the alley, and the paper’s free.”

Eddie got a funny look on his face, one of his eyebrows raising and his mouth twisting up in a quirky smile.

“You’re a nice lady, Maria, but I don’t do that stuff.”

“Oh, you dummy, I don’t mean _for that_.” She made her own strange face, scrunching it up as though the mere thought was painful, and swatted Eddie with the newspaper. “No…there’s just someone I want you to meet.”

“Oh? Should I be concerned?” He laughed, but it sounded slightly nervous.

“No, no. Just –” She scrambled up from the ground and took Eddie’s arm, gently nudging him along. “I just don’t want anyone else to see.”

“What, is this some ‘secret friend’?” he joked as he followed Maria.

“Well, sort of,” she replied.

Eddie was looking around a bit anxiously as he followed Maria around the corner and into the alley, as though expecting someone to jump out at them at any moment. Nothing disturbed them, however, as she briskly led Eddie into the shadows and behind a large dumpster, glancing around to ensure that no one else was around to observe them.

“Alright. Eddie.” Maria clasped her hands together, taking a deep, steady breath. “I want you to stay calm, okay?”

“Y’know, when people say they want you to stay calm, there’s usually a good reason not to be calm.”

“You trust me, right?”

“I do…kinda up until you just asked that,” he replied, laughing and scratching the side of his head nervously.

“So…well – I guess I should just be blunt about it. There’s no good way to prepare you, honestly.” She cleared her throat, taking another breath before continuing. “Eddie…I have an alien inside me.”

There was a moment of silence in which the both of them stared at each other, Eddie’s face rapidly transitioning through several emotions: There was the initial confusion, as he blinked a few times and then frowned, wondering if he had heard her correctly. Then the disbelief, the crooked smile and eyebrow raise that said it all had to be a joke. When Maria offered no explanation, no sudden “gotcha!” or “April fool’s!”, Eddie’s expression became uneasy again, an odd laugh escaping him.

“This – this is a joke? Right? ‘Cause that’s uh…that’s a good one.” He scratched his head again, clearing his throat.

“I’m not joking, Eddie,” Maria replied calmly.

“Okay, don’t – don’t take this the wrong way, but…have you um, you know…seen a shrink? Maybe?”

“I’m not crazy,” she said, a bit defensively this time. “I’m going to show you.”

“Oh, you’re going to – to show me. Okay. Uh, alright.” Eddie took a step back, gesturing for her to continue. “Please, I would love to – to meet, uh…”

“Venom.”

“Venom?” Eddie leaned closer, tilting his head as if he were hard of hearing. “It’s…name is – is Venom.”

“Yes.”

“Okay.” Eddie clapped his hands together, exhaling loudly. “Well, by all means, let’s uh – let’s see it.”

“You can come out now, love,” she said gently. Venom could hear Eddie whisper an incredulous “ _oh my god”_.

**Changed my mind.**

“What? What do you mean ‘changed your mind’?”

**Gonna stay inside. Don’t wanna.**

“Oh you –” Maria put her hands on her hips in exasperation, staring down at her chest. “ _You_ were the one who insisted on this. You get your little gooey butt out here right now.”

**No. Changed my mind. Bad idea.**

Eddie shifted awkwardly as he watched the exchange. “Well, if it doesn’t wanna come out –”

“No, no –” Maria held up a finger to silence him, still addressing the symbiote. “You’ve been buggin’ me about this all week.” She lowered her voice, adding in a softer tone, “Come on, love. It’ll be alright.”

 _Just make yourself cute_ , she thought.

**Bad idea. Gonna be bad.**

“No, it’ll be fine – Eddie, tell them it’ll be fine,” Maria insisted, looking back up at Eddie.

Eddie, who was looking more uncomfortable by the minute, hesitantly nodded.

“Yeah, it’s – it’s fine. I won’t freak out.”

**He definitely sounds like he’s going to freak out.**

“You’re freaking him out more by acting like this,” she replied pointedly. “Now c’mon. Don’t leave me hangin’ like this – he’s gonna think I’m just crazy.”

**That doesn’t sound so bad.**

“Venom.” Maria frowned, hands still on her hips, and for some reason her tone was familiar, even though she had never spoken to the symbiote like that since they’d been together. “You get out here _right now_ , or you can forget about eating a decent supper tonight.”

Venom squirmed inside of her, shrinking back.

“I’m going to count to three,” she continued firmly.

She held up a finger.

“ _One._ ”

**You are mean –**

“ _Two.”_

**Why are you doing this –**

“ _Three –_ ”

**Okay. Fine. Fine.**

Reluctantly, Venom pulled away from Maria and slowly manifested their usual innocuous head – the one absent of teeth, and with extra wide, innocent-looking opal eyes. They hovered in front of her, hanging back closely as they watched Eddie carefully for a reaction.

Eddie didn’t seem to know what to do. He was staring at them with an oddly calm expression for someone witnessing an alien materializing out of a human body for the first time, but Venom could sense the fear coursing through his body. They were sure that right now the man was debating whether to scream, run, or both.

But the only reaction he offered was a squeaky whisper: “ _Holy shit.”_

Exhaling the breath that he had been holding, Eddie ran a hand through his hair and gave a shaky laugh.

“That’s uh – that’s…that’s a fuckin’ alien.”

“Well? I told you,” Maria replied matter-of-factly.

“I mean – are you sure it’s not just, like…a really serious tapeworm?” he suggested weakly.

Venom narrowed their eyes, but Maria stroked their head comfortingly.

“They found me one day and decided to hang around. We get along quite well.” She smiled, scratching lightly under the symbiote’s chin. “They wanted to meet you. They seem to like you a lot.”

“It – it _likes_ me?” Eddie replied, dumbfounded, pointing a finger at his chest. “ _It_ …likes _me?_ ”

“Don’t refer to them as ‘it’, Eddie, it’s rude. _They_ like you. And wanted to meet you.”

“And it – they…they told you that.”

“Mhmm.”

“It – they…talk to you.”

“They’re quite chatty, usually,” she remarked. “Seems like they’ve decided to go all shy on us now. I think they’re scared.”

“ _They’re_ scared?” Eddie repeated. “ _They’re scared_?”

“Yes, please don’t make a scene. They’re really harmless.” She held her arm out and Venom wrapped around it, welcoming the familiar warmth and comfort.

“Harmless. Alien. Right.” Eddie nodded, his expression still slightly flabbergasted. “And this – uh – they…they came from _where_ , exactly?”

“They said their planet was called Klyntar. It’s quite far away.”

“And so how did they…get _here_?”

“Well,” Maria answered hesitantly, “they were brought by a rocket.”

“A…rocket.”

“Mhmm.”

“Like…hitched a ride…or something?”

“Something like that.”

“Okay. And you…you’re sure that this – this alien is uh…totally harmless?”

“We’ve been together for a while now, and they’ve never tried to harm me. We coexist,” she explained. “A symbiosis.”

“A sym – a symbiosis? Like – like a parasite?”

“ _No_. A symbiosis has mutual benefits, for both parties.”

“Okay. And what are these….” Eddie gestured obscurely in front of himself, “mutual benefits?”

“They’re able to live on our planet, and in turn they take care of me. They’re pretty good at healing stuff that would otherwise need a doctor, and I’d say they provide pretty good company.” She smiled.

Eddie exhaled again, and he looked like he might collapse if he didn’t sit down soon.

“Okay. Okay. You’ve – you’ve got an alien. Came on a rocket. Harmless. Heals stuff. Likes me.”

“Correct.” Maria offered her arm. “You can pet them, if you want.”

“P…pet them?”

“Mhmm.” She nodded encouragingly.

“Like – like a cat?”

“If you want to think of it like that.”

Eddie studied them dubiously, before hesitantly reaching out his hand. With all the caution and care that one would use to approach a bear trap, he gently brushed his fingers against the top of Venom’s head, keeping the rest of his body back as if worried that the symbiote might lunge for him.

The moment Eddie touched them, Venom could feel a warm tingling sensation spread down their form, all the way back to where they were still attached to Maria’s body.

“Oh, wow.” Maria put a hand to her chest in surprise. “That’s…”

Immediately perking their head up, Venom leaned into Eddie’s hand, melting into the touch. Eddie flinched at first, but then slowly placed his hand back next to the symbiote, letting the small form rub against his palm.

“Is – are they – are they _purring_?” he asked incredulously.

“Oh, yeah. They do that sometimes. When they’re happy.” Maria smiled, obviously pleased.

“An alien. That purrs.”

Venom had thought – not infrequently – about what it would feel like to have Eddie touch them, to have him stroke them the way Maria did so affectionately. Despite all their speculating, nothing in their wildest imagination could have prepared them for how explicitly _wonderful_ it would feel. It was like being pleasantly full after a meal – warm and content and _happy_ – a sensation so powerful that Venom realized they couldn’t relate it to anything they’d experienced either in space or on Earth. All they knew in that moment was that their entire being ached for _more_.

“Whoa – wh-what’s it doin’?” Eddie tensed, stiffly holding out his arm as the black goo suddenly began to spread from Maria’s hand onto his own, latching on and snaking up his wrist and forearm.

“Shit – no, no. Bad.” Maria took hold of Eddie’s arm, gently nudging Venom down and coaxing them back onto her own body; they immediately sank back underneath her skin, and she breathed a sigh of relief. “Sorry about that. They must have got carried away. Told you they liked you,” she joked.

Eddie took his arm back, rubbing it tenderly as he stared at the place on Maria’s skin where Venom had disappeared.

“Yeah…. Well, that was, uh…enlightening.”

“I promise they really are harmless. They just get a bit excited sometimes. But you’re our friend, so we figured you should know about us – both.”

“Us – we… you – you’re really serious here.”

“Serious about what?”

“About – about keeping this – this alien thing,” Eddie replied, gesturing to Maria’s body, where Venom was now tightly curled up inside her chest.

“They aren’t a _thing_ , Eddie. They’re a living being, with thoughts and feelings just like you and me.”

“And you know this because they – they talk to you.”

“I do.”

Eddie sighed heavily, rubbing his neck.

“You – you’re _sure_ it’s not just a tapeworm?”

“I’m sure,” Maria replied evenly, crossing her arms.

“Okay. Okay. Uh, well – I should get going. It was…nice meeting your, uh…friend. Thanks for the paper.”

“Eddie –”

But he was already walking away. “Take care of yourself, Maria,” he called back.

Sighing, Maria leaned back against the wall of the building behind her.

“You too, Eddie.”

She looked down at her chest, where Venom was being uncharacteristically quiet.

“I’m sorry, honey.”

**Told you bad idea.**

“He’ll come around,” Maria reassured them, gently rubbing her chest. “He just has to get over the initial…shock.”

**He won’t come back.**

“Don’t say that. I’m sure he will.”

**He won’t. I’m sorry.**

“You didn’t do anything wrong, love. If Eddie really is our friend, he’ll come back. Just give him time.”

Venom was afraid it would take more than time for Eddie to come around.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey-o! Thank you all again for your lovely comments and kudos, it means so much to me that people are reading and enjoying this story! I'm so grateful to all of you who have kept up with it thus far :)
> 
> This is just a flashback chapter, to give some more insight into Venom's motives as well as how they met Maria. I hope you will enjoy it, and I will have another (proper) chapter out soon! Thank you all <3
> 
> As always, you can check out my tumblr, @venomtots.

_Earth was chaos._

_There were too many people, too many hosts; Venom hopped between them like the disposable meat sacks they were. Some of them were okay – the better the match, the longer the symbiote could stay with them. But Venom found that even if the human was physically compatible, they always grew to hate their host for one reason or another. Then it was time to hop ship. It was hard to click with humans, hard to understand them or get them to understand you. Venom didn’t have time to waste trying to make friends with them – not when their species wouldn’t be around for much longer, anyway._

_They just needed time – time to get to the Life Foundation, meet up with Riot and the others. Then they wouldn’t have to worry about humans anymore._

_They were increasingly desperate, having just discarded their latest host after the man tried to get the symbiote out himself –predictably, the knife did more damage to him than to the alien in his body. Venom wasn’t sad to be rid of him, though the blatant rejection tasted bitter, but now they needed a new meat sack – and soon. Earth’s environment wasn’t hospitable, and they were vulnerable without a human to breathe the toxic air for them._

_It seemed that compatible hosts were becoming fewer and farther in between, and Venom was running out of options. As they crept around in the alley, they spotted another rough-looking human leaning against the side of a building. He resembled the others that didn’t seem to have their own shelter to visit at night. Bonding with these humans was tricky, as some of them put awful chemicals into their body that made the symbiote sick; usually these bodies would reject them outright, and Venom would be forced to find another, more suitable host – again._

_With no more time to waste, the symbiote scurried over to the stranger, and began climbing one of his legs._

_The human’s reaction was surprisingly quick for someone who looked so out of it, and he gave a cry of surprise as he felt the foreign creature squeezing his limb. With the force of someone trying to put out a fire on their pant leg, the man was kicking and brandishing his leg in an effort to shake the creature off. Venom clung stubbornly, wrapping tendrils around the human to keep themselves anchored._

_“Alright, you little fuck – try this on.”_

_And then there was a bright light, and pain, and Venom only marginally registered crumpling to the ground before a boot collided with their form and sent them flying across the alley to splatter against the brick building. The symbiote slid down, immediately scampering down the alley and away from the man and his painful light before he could use it again._

_They hid themselves behind a dumpster, their form trembling with anger and fear. Could they blame humans for rejecting them so vehemently? Venom supposed they would do the same in their situation. But that didn’t change the fact that they_ needed _a host, and if they didn’t get one soon, they would die. There was no simple way around it._

_Just then they heard footsteps, and instinctively shrank back in case it was the man with the light coming to find them. But as the sound came closer, they saw that it didn’t belong to the man at all; it was a woman, holding a ratty shawl around her shoulders as she walked leisurely down the alley. Venom wondered if she was also without shelter, and their suspicions were confirmed when she stopped in front of the dumpster and began to dig around inside._

_“What delicacies will we find today,” she muttered to herself, and then proceeded to hum as she rummaged through and pulled out what seemed to be scraps of food._

_Venom was careful this time, peering around the dumpster without leaving the safety of the shadows. They could already tell that this woman was a match – they couldn’t explain how it worked, exactly, but somehow symbiotes just knew when a host could handle them or not. She didn’t seem drowsy or agitated like the ones who injected chemicals, so she was probably healthy if only moderately malnourished. In any case, Venom couldn’t afford to be picky._

_They couldn’t afford to startle the human this time. If she rejected them, then they would have to go searching again – and their time was quickly running out._

_Slowly, they inched out of concealment, keeping a safe distance from the woman as she continued scavenging. They found themselves wishing they had some method of communication while not bonded, but they would have to make do – and hope that the woman was braver than she looked._

_Once she was seemingly satisfied with what she’d gathered from the trash, the woman turned around to head back down the alley. She began walking at first, but then stopped, pausing curiously at the black mass that had appeared on the ground in front of her. Frowning and cocking her head slightly, she knelt down to observe it more closely._

_Venom was careful to stay moderately still, moving just enough that this woman would know they were_ alive _, and not a_ thing _to be_ kicked _._

_“Well. What do we have here?”_

_She was relatively calm, and Venom was taken aback when she suddenly reached out her hand and touched them; the symbiote immediately flinched, scooting back as tendrils rose up protectively in front of them._

_“Oh, I’m sorry,” the woman said apologetically. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”_

_She made a face that Venom had seen other humans make at each other sometimes – where they spread their mouth and the corners rose and curled upward. They had assumed this was an expression of peace, as humans seemed happy when they made this expression at each other. Clearly they were wrong, because here this woman was using this expression toward_ them _, and that couldn’t be right._

_“It’s alright,” she continued, her voice soft and soothing. “I’m not gonna hurt you.” She was still holding out her hand, but didn’t attempt to move closer. “You don’t need to be scared. It’s okay.”_

_Venom watched her carefully, gauging the situation. They reminded themselves that they didn’t have much longer to contemplate. Slowly, cautiously, they retracted their tendrils and scooched close to the woman’s hand. She still had that strange expression that was confusing them, as she began to stroke them with her hand, all while making soft noises._

_It was a strange feeling, what she was doing. Venom had seen humans do this to the smaller animals on the planet sometimes – the really furry ones, with big eyes and cute noses. They weren’t an animal – they were an alien. And this woman was_ stroking them _, like they were a small animal._

_“I don’t know what you are,” she said thoughtfully. “But you look pretty lonely out here all by yourself.”_

_Something in those words stung, as if she’d touched a particularly soft spot. Venom’s kind didn’t have a concept of loneliness as humans did, but Venom had found it increasingly difficult to otherwise describe the hollow sensation they felt every time they had to leave another host, or when a host rejected them outright. They were alone, and they didn’t like it. And when you were alone and didn’t like it, that was_ lonely _._

_Deciding to test their boundaries, Venom rose up slightly and leaned into the woman’s hand. She sounded surprised but delighted, and now her mouth was showing teeth – still in that upturned position, the one Venom had thought was peaceful but now didn’t quite know._

_“Why don’t you come with me, huh? We could probably both use the company.”_

_Was this woman_ offering herself _as a host? Reasonably, she probably didn’t realize what they were or what she was suggesting. But Venom was at the end of the line and this was all the permission they needed._

_Their form latched on to the woman’s hand, pulling themselves off the ground and up along her arm, holding on tightly in case she suddenly changed her mind and tried to shake them off like the man had._

_“Oh, my -! Well, that’s an answer, I guess.”_

_Venom scrambled the rest of the way up her arm and settled against her chest, their form bubbling and shaking slightly as they sank into the woman’s skin, dissolving into her until there was no trace left of them on the outside._

_“What – what in the -?” The woman was visibly baffled, touching her chest and her arm and then turning around every which way to look for the black creature that she had just been talking to. “Where’d you go?”_

**_In here._ **

_“Oh!” She gave a yelp, jumping slightly and clasping a hand over her mouth. “You –“_

_She pressed a hand against her chest, as though trying to feel them inside of her. Her heart was beating frantically, and Venom took the initiative to help slow it down. They didn’t need her organs shutting down before they could even bond properly._

_“You – you’re…_ inside _me?”_

**_Correct._ **

_“Well, what – what_ are _you?”_

**_Your species would call me an alien. I can only survive if I bond with a host on this planet._ **

_“So – so you_ need _me, or you’ll…?”_

**_Eventually, die._ **

_“Well.” She exhaled loudly, pulling the shawl around her shoulders tighter. “I’m not rightly gonna kick you out, then, I guess. But I’d like to know a little bit about you first.”_

**_What do you want to know?_ **

_“Well, where are you from? In space, y’know. And how’d you get here?”_

_Venom thought before they spoke again, deciding that their best course of action would be to give as little information as possible – and to especially omit their true reason for being on Earth. They couldn’t risk this woman turning against them, not now._

**_I come from a planet called Klyntar. I came here on a rocket._ **

_“On a rocket? Someone brought you back?”_

**_Yes. They wanted to use my kind for experiments…but I escaped._ **

_“Whew. This is all just crazy. How long you been runnin’ around here?”_

**_A few months, by your human measurements._ **

_“So…don’t you wanna go home? Go back to your planet?” she asked. “It must be quite a fright being in such a strange place as Earth.”_

**_I…adapt. I will stay here for a while. Until the time is right._ **

_“And when will the time be right?”_

**_I will know, soon enough. Until then, I just…need a place to stay._ **

_The woman chuckled a bit._

_“Don’t we all. Well, then. I guess I don’t mind you hitching a ride – I wasn’t doing too much else with this body anyway. My name’s Maria, by the way.”_

**_I am aware. I can see your thoughts and memories, if I wish._ **

_“Now that’s a bit invasive.”_

**_I only use it to find what I need, rest assured –_ **

_“I’m only joking,” she interrupted with a laugh. “There’s nothing important to see in there anyway. But I’d appreciate a heads up.”_

**_As you wish._ **

_“So. What’s your name, then?”_

**_My real name, the one given on my planet, is unpronounceable and incomprehensible to humans._ **

_“Well alright, then, Mr. Fancy. What should I call you?”_

**_Venom. You can call me Venom._ **


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know I posted a chapter literally today, but I'm too impatient to wait now that I've finished the next! Please don't expect all updates to be this fast, because I doubt that is possible (ha) and that is putting way too much expectation on myself and my productivity lol. But I hope you all will enjoy this next segment! :))
> 
> You can also check out my tumblr, @venomtots (I post a lot of symbrock drabbles there :3c)

Venom’s kind did not have a concept of guilt. They weren’t sure if they had adopted it from their human hosts, or if it had naturally developed in them after so much time on Earth, but the symbiote understood it now. Guilt was like a heavy weight inside of you, tugging at you until it made you tired and sick. It made you feel bad, like _you_ were bad. And maybe they were.

The first time they had started to understand guilt was when Maria called them “love” for the first time. It had been spontaneous, with no build-up or warning, and it had hit Venom like a ton of bricks.

 _‘Love’?,_ they had asked. _Why are you calling me that?_

“It’s just a term of endearment,” Maria had explained with a laugh. “It’s like _sweetie_ , or _darling_.”

_Why are you using these terms with me?_

“Well, I just thought –” she had faltered a bit. “I just thought it was cute, I guess. Mostly a force of habit. I can stop sayin’ it if you don’t like it.”

_You can…say it if you want. It doesn’t matter to me._

But Venom had felt something when she said it; at first they were confused, unable to connect the feeling with their thoughts, until they realized that it was actually coming from Maria. It was a warm, affectionate feeling, one that Venom had never experienced, and it baffled them, while at the same time making them feel whole in a way that they didn’t even know they were broken. That affection, that _love –_ that was coming from their _host_. The only thing they had ever felt directed toward them from hosts was anger, repulsion, _fear_ – not _affection_ , not _love_.

This woman cared for them, and they were going to destroy her world.

Venom had, of course, changed their mind about the plan since meeting Maria in that alleyway, and given the opportunity they would sooner sacrifice themselves than see her planet – hers and Eddie’s – go up in flames. But Maria didn’t know that. Maria didn’t know there had ever been a plan at all. How would she feel about them if she knew their original reason for coming to Earth, for bonding with her? Their fear of yet another human – and moreover, a human they had come to like – casting them out and rejecting them outweighed the guilt that overcame them every time they thought about it. So they remained silent, despite the dreaded possibility that if the others managed to escape the Life Foundation, they would no doubt complete the mission with or without them. And then what?

Venom told themselves they would deal with that when it came time.

* * *

 

“What’s wrong today, darling? You seem a bit anxious.” Maria patted her chest comfortingly. “Somethin’ on your mind?”

**No. Just…sorry about Eddie.**

“I told you, he’ll come back. Just give him some time.”

But it had already been two days, and there was no sign of Eddie. Venom didn’t have high hopes.

**Was a mistake. Meeting him.**

“I wouldn’t say that,” Maria replied. “I don’t see Eddie as the type to bail like that. He just needs time to wrap his head around it.”

Venom whined and coiled up tighter inside Maria until she gently patted her shoulder. “Come on, come out for a bit.”

Reluctantly, Venom’s head materialized to rest on her shoulder, their small form gently curling around her neck as she rubbed their head lovingly.

“It’ll be alright, dear. Don’t worry.”

**Do you regret letting me in?**

“What? Why would I?” she asked, slightly taken aback.

**Most humans would not want an alien in their body.**

“Well I have yet to experience any cons. Okay, the people-eating is a little inconvenient sometimes, but otherwise I’d say you’re a pleasure to have around.” She smiled and scratched under their chin. “It’s nice having some company – someone to look after.”

Venom thought of the boy and girl in her dreams.

**I am also looking after you.**

“That you are – and you’re doing a splendid job. Don’t have many people doin’ that nowadays.”

**Can you tell me what happened to your family?**

Maria gave a wry smile, looking down at her lap. There was that pang of longing again, like a hole that had been carved into her very being – a hole that Venom couldn’t fix no matter how hard they tried.

“Who said I ever had any family, huh?”

**I’ve seen them. In your dreams.**

“Yeah, well…that’s where they’ll stay for now,” she replied. “There are…some things in this world, too painful to talk about.”

**I am sorry. Didn’t want to make you sad.**

Maria gave them a gentle smile, patting their head.

“Don’t worry, love. I’m fine.” She exhaled and stretched from her position on the ground. “I’m feelin’ hungry. What d’you say we go rustle up some dinner?”

**My kind of dinner, or your kind?**

Maria gave a thoughtful shrug.

“Whatever we come across, I suppose.” 

* * *

 

It was still rather early in the night, and the pickings were slim.

“You know, I think we might have already gotten rid of all the criminals that lurked in these parts,” Maria joked. “We’ll have to branch out.”

**You are just picky. I found plenty of good meals, but you refused.**

“They weren’t doin’ anything, love,” Maria reminded them gently.

**They looked suspicious.**

“Everyone looks suspicious when you’re hungry, darling.”

They searched around some more before finally settling for another dumpster dive; Maria dug out all the fries she could find in the McDonald’s trash bin, and she and Venom sat down to share them nearby.

“I know this isn’t much,” she admitted apologetically.  

**I will live.**

“At least you didn’t bond with a vegetarian.”

As they were eating, the back door to the restaurant suddenly opened, and a grumpy looking man came out – judging from his uniform and the bag of trash in his hand, he worked in the restaurant.

“Lady – you can’t be here,” he informed her irritably. “You can’t just go through our dumpsters diggin’ food out.”

“Well I don’t see what all the fuss is about,” Maria responded calmly. “It would be going to waste otherwise.”

“Well that ain’t for you to decide. Get the hell out of here before I call the cops.”

Venom was bubbling with anger, itching to get out, but Maria remained suave and silent as she gathered herself from the ground. Brushing off her skirt, she straightened up and approached the man, still holding the box of fries in her hand.

“I’m sorry, that was quite rude. Would you like some? I’m happy to share.” She held up the box of fries with a testy smirk on her face, not wavering her gaze as she maintained steady eye contact.

The man’s face scrunched up and he made a noise in the back of his throat, backing away from them.

“Get the fuck outta here.” He waved them along briskly, turning back to toss the trash in the bin. “Fuckin’ bums,” he muttered.

Venom had taken over Maria’s body before they even fully realized it, their full alien form spinning around and lunging at the man, pinning him roughly against the dumpster.

“ ** _Do you have any idea what it’s like to go hungry?!_** _” they roared. “ **What it’s like to sleep in the cold every night?! To have people scorn and spit on you?! You are a spineless, wretched human being! You don’t deserve the food you eat, you ungrateful piece of shit!** ”_

The man was staring up at them with wide, fearful eyes, his entire body trembling. Venom could see the sweat pouring down his face, which had gone a sickly shade of pale.

“Wh – what the fuck _are you_?!”

“ ** _The wrong person to fuck with!_** ”

Venom opened their mouth, unhinging their jaw and spreading the fangs wide and clear as they lowered themselves down take the man’s head.

_Venom, NO!_

They paused as Maria’s voice echoed shrilly in their head. Grumbling, they squeezed the man’s throat a bit tighter.

“ ** _This man treated you like scum! Like less than human! He doesn’t deserve to live!_** ”

 _This is not how we handle rudeness, Venom! Put him down,_ now!

Growling, Venom slowly stepped back and let go of the man, who immediately proceeded to crumble onto the ground, breathing heavily.

“ ** _You are lucky, cretin. Rethink your actions. You won’t get a second chance._** _”_

Before the man had a chance to recover, they were turning and sprinting down the alley. It was only when they were at a safe distance that Venom melted away from Maria, leaving her to lean against the side of a building, panting.

“Why did you do that?!” she demanded breathlessly.

**He was rude to you!**

“Rude – to _me_? What happened to _us_?”

Venom faltered, only just becoming aware of the phrasing.

**I…was protecting you. Looking out for you.**

“That wasn’t a situation that warranted an assault, Venom.”

**I beg to differ.**

“Venom,” she sighed. “There will always be rude, cruel people in this world. But that doesn’t mean all of them deserve to die. That man probably has a family – people that care about him, and would be very upset if he suddenly didn’t show up back home.”

**I do not care. You are more important.**

Maria looked at them strangely, frowning almost sympathetically.

“I appreciate you defending me, but unless my life is in imminent danger, you don’t need to go off all half-cocked like that. You know how many times I’ve been kicked out of dumpsters?” She laughed. “There will always be another one.”

**Shouldn’t have to find another one. You said it – the food is going to waste. Why does he care?**

“Not everyone is sympathetic to people like me.”

**Don’t like when they treat us badly.**

“You mean when they treat _me_ badly, don’t you? It’s always been about _me_.”

**I do not care what humans think of me, after all.**

“I beg to differ,” she replied with a smirk.

**Why do you say that?**

“Well, I can think of at least _one_ human whose opinion you care quite a bit about…” She smiled as they turned down the alley, walking back toward their usual spot.

**And who would that be?**

Maria was interrupted in her answer when they arrived back, only to run into an unexpected guest.

“Eddie!” Maria blinked in surprise, but then grinned. “Didn’t expect to see you!”

“Oh, Maria – thank god.” Eddie breathed a sigh of what sounded like relief. His expression was troubled. “I thought you had – that…something bad had happened.”

“I’m just fine, Eddie,” she assured him. “It’s good to see you again.”

“Right. Uh. Can we – talk? But not here.”

“Hm.” Maria pursed her lips, thinking. “Are we okay with that?” she asked casually.

Venom huddled in her chest, Eddie’s presence causing a mixed reaction of excitement and fear.

**Let him talk, if he wants.**

“Alright, I guess we’re good. Follow me then.”

Eddie didn’t say anything about Maria’s short conversation with the symbiote, following her into the alley as he had done a couple days ago when she first introduced him to her newfound friend. He still seemed anxious, and Venom wondered if he was going to try to convince Maria that she needed to get rid of them. Maybe Eddie had even found out that they were brought by The Life Foundation – or even worse, _why_ they had come in the first place. Venom curled up tighter inside of their host, as if to cling on to her.

“Alright, Eddie,” Maria addressed him once they were far enough in the shadows, crossing her arms against her chest. “What’s up?”

“So, uh…I’m sorry for the other day.” He clasped his hands and shifted awkwardly back and forth. “I was just, uh…surprised, I guess.”

“Natural reaction,” Maria replied with a shrug.

“You’ve uh – you’ve still got the uh…?” he faltered, pointing hesitantly at her chest.

“Venom is still here, yes.”

“Okay.” Eddie let out a breath, rubbing his hands together as though he were trying to build up confidence. “Can I, uh, see them?”

Maria raised an eyebrow, looking at Eddie skeptically.

“Why d’you wanna do that?”

“Well, for one, to convince myself I wasn’t hallucinating the other night. And two, I was hoping they might, uh…talk to me this time.”

“You…wanna talk to them?”

“If they will…yeah.”

“Well?” Maria asked, not addressing Eddie this time. “What d’you think?”

**He can talk. But I stay in here.**

“They said you can talk, but they’re not coming out.”

“Okay…fair enough.” Eddie cleared his throat. “So…Venom. Uh. You wanna tell me why you’re hanging out with my friend here?”

**She is nice. Nice and friendly. Treats me well. Like I am a person.**

“I treat them well,” Maria replied. “Like a person.”

“Okay, this – how do I even know they’re really saying that? Can they just – I mean, just a head, or – something -?”

“I won’t force them to come out,” Maria replied.

“Are they – are they mad at me?” Eddie asked, a bit incredulous.

“I’m pretty sure you hurt their feelings. They don’t usually trust humans, you know.”

“Hurt their – feel…” Eddie exhaled and ran a hand through his hair. “Okay. Well, uh – I am sorry. Really. That…wasn’t my intention. It’s just…not every day you see uh – an…alien, y’know. So I was surprised. But I apologize. And…I would like to talk to them now, if they are willing to come out.”

“Well?” Maria prompted. “What d’you say?”

**…Fine.**

Reluctantly, Venom partially materialized from Maria’s body as they had the other day – only this time, they sported a shiny set of fangs, which curved into a slightly malicious-looking grin on their face.

“ ** _Hello, Eddie._** ”

“Oh,” Eddie sounded a bit weakly, his voice higher than normal. “It – it has teeth now.”

“Oh, yeah,” Maria commented nonchalantly. “Guess they are a bit mad.”

“That’s, uh…fair, I guess.” He swallowed nervously, his face slightly pale. “Okay, uh…Venom. Could you tell me, uh – why you’re…with Maria?”

“ ** _I need a host so that I can live on your planet. Your friend offered. She has been kind to me. Unlike others._** ”

“You need a host…so you can’t survive on Earth on your own?”

“ ** _Your air is toxic to my kind. We cannot process it._** ”

“Why are you here?”

“ ** _As we said before, came on a rocket_.”**

“Yeah, but _why_? Why Earth? Why’d you hitch a ride, or – whatever you did?”

Venom grumbled uneasily, shrinking back toward Maria.

“You can tell him the truth, love.”

 **He won’t trust me.** Venom communicated this only to Maria, not saying it aloud for Eddie to hear.

“Nonsense. If anything, he’ll want to help.”

Help. Because neither of them had any idea of what was really going on at The Life Foundation – or why they were using symbiotes. Venom had conned them into believing that they really were just a benevolent alien, sent to Earth for no hostile reason whatsoever.

That guilty feeling began to tug at them again.

“ ** _I was brought here by The Life Foundation. They wanted to use my kind for experiments._** ”

“The Life Foundation?” Eddie’s eyes widened, and suddenly he was alert. “Experiments? What kind of experiments?”

“We don’t know,” Maria replied. “They have others of Venom’s kind in their lab right now.”

“There are – there are _others_?” Eddie sputtered. “Other… _aliens_? _Carlton Drake_ has fucking _aliens_?! And he’s _experimenting with them_!?”

“We mentioned it before, but if I recall you were unconcerned with Carlton Drake and his shenanigans.”

“ _No._ You said he was experimenting – you didn’t say he had _fucking aliens_!”

“Does that matter?” Maria asked, crossing her arms. “People are dying either way.”

Eddie gave a heavy sigh, leaning back against the building behind him and running a hand through his hair.

“I guess not. But why – what would Drake want with aliens?”

Maria shrugged.

“You –” Eddie addressed Venom now, walking towards them. “You know. You’ve gotta know.”

“ ** _I could not tell you what Carlton Drake plans to do._** ”

“Well – how’d you get out? You said the others were in his lab – why aren’t _you_?”

“ ** _I escaped when the rocket transporting us crashed. I made my way here, until I found Maria. That is all I know._** ”

“Bullshit.” Eddie turned to Maria, gesturing to the symbiote hovering a few feet in front of them. “You’re really trusting this thing? They escape from a Life Foundation rocket, others of their kind are being held in Carlton Drake’s lab – and you really don’t see anything fishy about that?!”

“Of course it’s fishy,” Maria replied calmly. “But what Carlton Drake is planning doesn’t have anything to do with Venom. They were meant to be a guinea pig – that’s hardly malevolent. They’re just trying to hide and survive.”

“Hide – if they were trying to hide, why did they make their way _toward_ The Life Foundation when the rocket crashed? You’d think they would want to be as far away as possible. Or am I wrong?”

He watched Venom with a steady gaze, and the symbiote narrowed their eyes.

“ ** _Is it surprising for you, that perhaps I wanted to learn the fate of the others of my kind?_** ”

“But you made your way here from – wherever, hopping from host to host, right? Using them all up? Until you found Maria – and you’re probably going to use her up when you’re done -”

“ ** _I WOULD NEVER HARM MARIA._** ” Venom’s face was next to Eddie in a flash, baring fangs and growling. “ ** _I look out for her! I take care of her!_** ”

“Is _that_ what you tell yourself?!” Eddie fired back. “She was doing just fine before you decided to hop in her body –”

“ ** _Living off the sparse generosity of strangers?_** _”_ Venom cut in, still holding Eddie’s gaze. _“ **Eating only food out of dumpsters until someone is nice enough to spare change?**_ ”

“How’s that changed, Venom?” Eddie asked steadily, narrowing his eyes in turn. “What are you eating now?”

“Eddie – Venom – both of you, that’s enough.” Maria stepped between them, pushing them apart. “This isn’t meant to be a fight.”

She sighed.

“Eddie – I let Venom stay, because that’s what I want. It doesn’t matter whether you trust them or not, because _I_ do. They’ve never hurt me yet.”

Venom could feel that awful pang of guilt again, and tried to will it away.

“And how long do you think that’s gonna go on for?” Eddie replied. “You don’t have any idea about this thing or where it’s from – only what it’s told you, a story which I find _conveniently_ vague and full of holes.”

Maria rolled her eyes.

“I forgot, you used to be a reporter.”

“Yeah, and I was good at it!”

“Well I don’t need your deductive skills tryin’ to pry into this,” she replied firmly. “I just…wanted us all to get along and be friends. I wouldn’t have had this conversation if I knew you were just goin’ to spit off accusations.”

“I’m just looking out for you, Maria,” Eddie protested a bit desperately. “This – this thing, it could be _dangerous_.”

“Well, I choose not to believe that. Whether you want to or not, that’s your problem.”

 “ ** _Is there a reason you don’t like me, Eddie?_** ” Venom hovered nearby, watching the interaction closely.

“Well – the fangs aren’t very reassuring, that’s for sure.”

Venom floated around Maria’s head, moving closer to Eddie again. They retracted the fangs and shrunk themselves, blinking at Eddie with wide, milky eyes.

“ ** _Is this better, Eddie? I can look however you want._** ”

“This – what, are you tryin’ to trick me by bein’ cute? That may work on Maria, but it’s not gonna work on me.”

“ ** _But I_ am _cute._** ” Venom smiled, taking their chance and gently bumping against Eddie’s face with their own. The man shivered and squirmed away.

“Keep that – just keep that away from me,” Eddie said, pointing at Venom as he addressed Maria.

Venom could taste a familiar hurt and bitterness, and a hint of anger bubbled at the surface, but they merely hung their head and returned to Maria, resting against her shoulder.

“Eddie – there’s no need to be mean. Stop talking to them like they’re not a person,” Maria scolded, comfortingly stroking the small creature now nuzzling her neck.

“They _aren’t_ a person! They’re an _alien_ , for cryin’ out loud!”

Maria opened her mouth to protest, but they were suddenly interrupted by a crisp clicking sound from a few feet away. Looking over, they saw several men in uniform, all with their guns pointed in their direction.

“Yeah, about that alien,” one of them announced. “We’ll be taking that.”

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, another chapter! Apologies for the delay, as I was staying at my parents' over Thanksgiving holidays so I didn't have time to write.  
> Also, I'm terrible at writing action scenes, so if this is absolutely atrocious I apologize :D I'll be back in my usual domain for the next chapter!
> 
> Thank you all so much again for reading and supporting this story :)) You can also check out my tumblr, @venomtots.

Venom immediately sank back into Maria’s skin, ready to attack, but she shushed them. The symbiote could feel her trembling slightly, but she kept her feet firmly planted on the ground. Glancing over at Eddie, Venom couldn’t tell whether he looked more frightened or angry.

“Come on, now,” the man prompted. He was bald with a goatee and a row of unsettlingly perfect teeth. “Let’s not make this harder than it has to be.”

“Who are you people?” Maria demanded. She had her hand pressed against her chest, as though to either hold Venom back or try to comfort them.

“We work for Carlton Drake. And I believe you have something that belongs to him.”

“Don’t know what you’re talkin’ about.”

“Don’t play dumb!” the man shouted irritably. “We’ve been tracking the disappearances, we’ve been following you…and we’ve seen that _thing_. And it belongs in Drake’s lab, where it was _supposed_ to be.”

“Disappearances?” Eddie’s head snapped to look at Maria. “What are they talking about?”

Maria was silent, not turning to meet his gaze.

“This creature doesn’t belong to you,” she announced firmly. “They don’t belong to anyone. And I’m not goin’ to let you take them just so you can use them for some kind of experiments!”

“Well I’m afraid that’s not your choice, sweetheart.” The bald man chuckled, lowering his gun and tucking it into its holster. He approached Maria, who didn’t step back even when they ended up practically nose to nose.

“I’m going to give you _one more chance_ ,” he said lowly. “Hand over the symbiote, before we have to _tear_ it out of you.”

Venom was fretting inside of Maria, desperately begging her to let them take over, but she kept her hand firmly planted on her chest – this didn’t actually prevent anything, but Venom knew what the gesture was supposed to communicate, and they grudgingly held back.

“Kindly go fuck yourself,” Maria replied.

“Alright then. Have it your way.”

The man moved quickly – they couldn’t tell whether he was going to hit them or go for his gun, but either way Venom was quicker, and next second the man was yelling in pain as a tendril grabbed his arm and bent it unceremoniously behind his back.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Maria warned him.

The other men had stepped closer, still pointing their guns at them.

“Let him go, ma’am! We only want the symbiote, but if you get in our way, there’s no promises!”

“Oh, well I am _most certainly_ goin’ to be in your way, I’m afraid.”

Maria looked over at Eddie, who had gone slightly pale.

“I’m sorry, Eddie. I didn’t mean for you to get involved in this.”

Eddie swallowed with some difficulty.

“Maria – ”

“No! I know what you’re goin’ to say, and I’m _not_!” Maria looked at Eddie almost pleadingly, her eyes begging him to sympathize. “You can’t understand it, because – because they’re not _with you_. But – but I’m not just goin’ to hand them over. I can’t!”

“Maria, we can’t take on five goons on our own!”

“I’d like to think I have a little advantage here. Now get behind me.”

“What?!”

“Just do as I say!”

Eddie hesitantly walked around until Maria’s body was shielding him, watching the scene unfold with an incredulous and terrified expression; sweat was already soaking through his sweatshirt.

Maria exhaled steadily, and Venom understood the implicit command without her voicing it. Her body relaxed as the symbiote materialized over her skin, spreading along her limbs and encasing her completely. They now towered over the men with the guns – small, weak men, now. They were frozen in place, as though their eyes couldn’t believe what they were witnessing.

 _Dinner_ , Venom thought idly.

There was a high-pitched screech from behind them, and they turned their head to see Eddie on the ground, looking up at them with a pale, terror-stricken face.

“WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT!?”

But by now the men had recovered, and guns were firing before Maria or Venom could explain anything to their companion. The bullets ricocheted off of Venom’s form, their shells clattering haphazardly on the ground. Growling, they tossed the bald man they were still holding into the other four; it knocked most of them down, and they didn’t wait for them to get up.

“ ** _Eddie! Eddie, we have to go!_** ”

“Wh – what is – who’s talking!? What are you –” Eddie stammered, pointing a shaking finger at them.

“ ** _No time! Gotta go!_** ”

Before Eddie could protest and delay them any further, Venom reached down and promptly grabbed him around the waist, snatching him up and throwing him unceremoniously over their shoulder as they ran.

“What the fuck?! Put me down!”

“ ** _You really want to take your chances with Drake’s men?_** ”

They sprinted away from the scene, proceeding to dart in and out of the alleyways in an effort to make as complicated of a path as possible for their adversaries to follow.

“Just – just give them the fuckin’ alien!” Eddie protested desperately.

“ ** _You really think they will leave us alone after that? We know too much – we are disposable to them. More disposable if you get rid of me._** _”_

“Oh, so – so that’s Venom talking, huh? Which one of you is actually in control here?”

“ ** _That is not the biggest concern right now. We need to get far away._** ”

In the not so far distance, they could hear the revving of a car and squeaking tires.

“Where the hell are we gonna go?! Drake’s men are gonna find us!”

“ ** _We won’t make it easy for them._** ”

As a pair of sleek black cars came into view on the street, Venom ran faster, only two thoughts frantically speeding through their mind: S _ave Maria. Save Eddie._ They could suddenly hear a strange whirring behind them and Eddie subsequently shout: “ _holy shit!_ ”

Glancing back briefly, they could see what appeared to be small flying machines hovering overhead, moving in their direction. When one of them collided with a car on the street and promptly exploded, Venom abandoned the sidewalk for a quicker mode of transportation – leaping from vehicle to vehicle and ignoring the sounds of crashing and shouting they left behind.

“What the hell!?” Eddie shouted, his voice shrill. “What are you doing!?”

“ ** _Trying to stay alive! And keep you alive as well!_** ”

As they jumped onto another car, they could hear Eddie groan.

“This is gonna give me motion sickness!”

“ ** _If that’s the worst thing that happens to you, consider yourself lucky!_** ”

There were more explosions, more screams – most of them coming from Eddie – but Venom didn’t bother turning around. Their only concern was increasing their distance from the black vehicles speeding after them; this was more difficult to do while carting a human on their shoulder, but leaving Eddie for Drake’s men was out of the question.

As they ran, they spotted a dead end up ahead – an iron rung fence that stood between them and a drop at least a dozen feet onto the street below. Only briefly considering other options, none of which looked like they would end in their favor, Venom made the executive decision to leap over the fence – hopefully delaying their pursuers by at least a few minutes.

Eddie yelled as they jumped up and over the barrier, falling through the air.

“WHAT ARE WE DOING? WHAT ARE WE DOING?!”

Venom felt him scrambling around until finally wrapping his arms securely around the alien’s neck, clinging for dear life. Oddly, this made a warm feeling bubble up inside of them, and without being entirely conscious of doing so, they held Eddie tighter against them in return.

Eddie groaned as they landed on the ground, the impact shaking a few nearby bushes. Venom didn’t give him time to recover as they continued running, only looking back when they heard a disheartening crashing and screeching sound: the cars Drake’s men were driving, plowing straight through the fence and landing roughly but safely onto the lower street.

“You’ve got to be _kidding_ me!” Eddie cried. “I am going to _die_!”

“ ** _You are NOT going to DIE!_** ” Venom yelled.

The cars were annoyingly persistent, following them through every turn and U-turn that they made. After failing to evade them despite several exhausting maneuvers, Venom saw the only potential way out: the bay that stretched out in front of them like a dark void of nothingness.

“ ** _Eddie – hang on!_** ”

“What?! Why are you telling me to hang on?! What are you – DOING!?” Eddie’s voice abruptly switched octaves, his screech piercing the air as Venom once again leapt over a fence and plunged them into a much shorter drop this time – but one that was cold and wet and dark.

The water was heavy around them, but swimming was never a problem. Venom had managed to keep a grasp on Eddie, who was flailing against them – naturally, humans couldn’t breathe underwater. Stretching out a tendril, Venom spread it out to cover the bottom half of Eddie’s face, creating a crude sort of diving mask that would leave room for enough air to breathe, shielding him from the water. Eddie stopped struggling a moment later, and Venom watched as the man blinked at them in confusion.

 _You’re safe_ , Venom wanted to say – but that wasn’t really possible to articulate underwater.

A sudden small object whizzing beside them and down into the depths of the bay told Venom that they weren’t in the clear yet. Wrapping their arms around Eddie again, adding a few more tendrils for good measure, Venom sped them away from the bullets plunging into the water. They had no set path, but the farther away from those goons the better.

They resurfaced a few minutes later, ejecting themselves from the water and collapsing on the concrete pylon under the bridge overhead. Venom’s form receded and disappeared back into Maria’s body as she stood up and brushed herself off.

Eddie was sitting on the ground, staring at them with a slightly horrified expression. Scrambling clumsily to his feet, he pointed a trembling finger in their direction.

“What – what was **_that_**?” he demanded, and Venom noticed that he was purposely keeping distance between them.

“Eddie,” Maria began calmly, holding up a hand in caution. “Listen –”

“No – no, what – what the hell was that?! You didn’t tell me that – that **_thing_** could do – do **_that_**!” Eddie gestured wildly in front of him, panting heavily.

“Eddie, I’m so sorry – we never wanted to involve you like this –”

“A little late for that!” he cried, his voice shrill and terrified. “That thing is wanted by The Life Foundation – and now they’re after **_us_**! Do you have any idea how _dangerous_ this is?!”

“So you just want to give them right back to Drake’s goons?” Maria crossed her arms. “Come on, Eddie. You’re not stupid. Drake wouldn’t leave us alone after that – we know too much. Besides, since when do you want to give Drake exactly what he wants?”

Eddie didn’t reply, his jaw tightening as he glared at them. He cleared his throat, busying himself with wringing out his sopping wet sweatshirt.

“For all we know, that thing _wants_ to work with Drake,” he muttered.

“ ** _And for all_ we _know,_** ” Venom replied, head slowly materializing outside of Maria’s body and looming in front of Eddie with bared teeth. “ ** _You’re the one who sent his men after us._** ”

“What? Why would I do that?” Eddie asked angrily.

“ ** _Because to you I am a_ thing** _,_ ” the symbiote hissed. “ ** _You don’t see me as a person. Only a threat._** ”

“Well,” Eddie replied hesitantly. “You aren’t, you’re…an alien.”

“ ** _And therefore I am not deserving of freedom to live?_** "

Eddie was quiet, awkwardly swallowing as he avoided their gaze.

“Eddie – they don’t want to hurt anyone,” Maria insisted. “They just want to be left alone.”

“Yeah? Then what was all that talk about ‘disappearances’? You never did say what it liked to eat.”

Maria hung her head slightly, wringing her hands.

“We’re sorry, Eddie. They need a chemical in human brains for food –”

“A chemical in **_what_** _, **now**_?”

“We only use really bad people – criminals, the ones who go after innocent people.”

“And that makes eating people _okay_?!”

“Of course not! But sometimes we don’t have a choice!” Maria looked at him pleadingly. “We can substitute with potatoes or chocolate, but there isn’t always enough –” She sighed. “It’s hard, Eddie. You don’t know how hard it is.”

“Did this thing even _ask_ to use your body as a living space?”

“Stop calling them a _thing_! And yes, I gave them permission!” Maria was on the verge of tears, and Venom rested protectively between her and Eddie, watching him carefully.

“Why would you do something like that, Maria?” Eddie asked desperately. “Didn’t you think –”

“Because, Eddie, they _needed_ me – and I needed _them_! We understand each other, Eddie. We…we were alone, both of us.”

Eddie sighed heavily and shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“There are a lot of other ways to solve loneliness than bonding with an _alien_ –”

“Well, this isn’t your life, Eddie! It’s mine. And whatever you may think, Venom isn’t here to harm us. They saved our lives just now!”

“They’re the one who put our lives in danger in the first place!”

“That wasn’t their fault!”

“ ** _Might I suggest:  less arguing, more leaving this place before those men spot us again?_** ”

Eddie and Maria paused their argument to look at Venom, who hovered nonchalantly as though not bothered by the fact that their presence had been temporarily ignored.

“Venom’s right, Eddie. We need to find a place to hide.”

“Right.” Eddie gestured in defeat. “I can’t go back to my apartment, now. Thanks for that.”

 “Please, Eddie. I don’t want to fight. We’ll fix this – I promise. We just need to lay low for a while.”

“Well one thing’s certain,” Eddie stated. “When I see Carlton Drake again, I’m going to put my foot so far up his ass he tastes rubber.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long with this one, guys! I was travelling and then got sick right after so it was a nasty combo, but I'm better now and ready to share more! Thanks so much for all the support so far and I hope you enjoy this next part :))
> 
> A million thanks to my beta readers (which I haven't had until this chapter lmao): spacefoxen, talizoruh, Red, Agent Elrond, and then of course my spouse who reads literally everything I write bc I bug them Constantly - and all the cheer readers who gave their feedback on discord. You guys are great!! <3
> 
> As always you can follow me on tumblr, @venomtots, and NOW I have a twitter as well! @venom_tots (remember the underscore!).

“What are we gonna do? What are we gonna _do_?”

“ ** _You might feel calmer if you sat down._** ”

Eddie ignored Venom’s floating form as he paced back and forth in the small motel room they had rented, alternating between wringing his hands and running them through his hair as he muttered to himself.

“It’s alright, Eddie,” Maria added gently, sitting down on one of the beds. “We’re safe for now.”

“Yeah, until Drake’s men manage to find us – which they will, because that’s just…how these things work.”

Maria shook her head. “They won’t find us. Sit down and relax for a moment.” She gestured to the empty bed beside hers.

“ ** _Are you sure he_ knows _how to relax?_** ”

“Listen, you –” Eddie pointed a finger at Venom, narrowing his eyes as he met the symbiote’s gaze. “Maria may trust you, but _I_ don’t. You got us into this mess, and you better get us out.”

“ ** _What do you think I was doing earlier?_** ”

“As far as I know, just saving your own skin. Why should you care about us, huh? What do you have to gain by helping a couple humans that you’d otherwise eat?”

Venom held Eddie’s stare, hovering steadily in front of him.

“ ** _Is it incomprehensible for you, Eddie, to imagine that I, too, have feelings?_** ”

Eddie faltered on this, dropping his hand and clearing his throat awkwardly as he looked away.

“Whatever. I’m gonna take a shower and let my clothes dry. Let me know if anyone else tries to kill us.” Eddie turned and disappeared into the bathroom, closing the door shut behind him.

As they heard the shower turn on, Venom moved down to lay in Maria’s lap, their form melting and sinking against her.

“I’m sorry, love,” she said gently, stroking the slightly liquified mass.

**You told me it could end badly.**

“Doesn’t mean I wanted it too.” She frowned sympathetically. “A lot of…intense things have happened. He’s just scared. I think we all are.”

**But he is scared of _me_.**

“He’s just scared of what he doesn’t understand. But Eddie’s a reasonable person. A little…hard-headed sometimes, but reasonable.”

It was reasonable, Venom supposed, to distrust an alien that you knew little about – and who was lying, even if Eddie didn’t know that. He was smart – he used to be a reporter, after all – so of course he sensed something was amiss. But how could Venom admit that they hadn’t been entirely truthful? Eddie may not trust them, but Maria did, and the thought of breaking that trust made them squirm with unease. Besides, whatever their previous intentions, their purpose _now_ was to keep Maria and Eddie safe, and throw whatever wrenches they could into The Life Foundation’s plans. They would make up for their mistake by making sure they all came out of this alive – whatever it took.

“Why do you like Eddie so much, Venom?” Maria asked curiously.

Venom was taken aback by the question, and returned to a more solid form in Maria’s lap as they pondered it.

 **I…don’t know** , they admitted. **Can’t explain it.**

“Well,” Maria replied slowly, “tell me what you feel.”

**It is…not something I’ve felt before. Like a hunger, but…different. Hurts sometimes.**

“Hurts like what?”

**Like…there is food in front of you, but you can’t eat it.**

Maria laughed, quickly covering her mouth.

“Are food analogies the only ones you know?” she asked, her eyebrows rising in amusement.

**Won’t talk if you’re just going to mock me.**

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” She smiled and patted their head. “Go on – why do you think it’s Eddie? What makes him so special?”

**Don’t know. Just… _feel_ it. My kind can usually tell if a human will be a match, to bond with. Felt it with you, just knew. But Eddie is…different. **

“Different how?”

**Don’t know. Can’t explain. Just feel.**

“Hm…” Maria mused, absentmindedly stroking the symbiote as she thought . “I mean, some people believe in soulmates **.”**

**Soulmates?**

“Yeah, y’know – two people who are meant to be together, ‘cause the universe or whatever decided so.”

**And this is real?**

“Well, depends on who you ask.” Maria chuckled. “But I don’t think it’s too implausible. There are a lot of things in the universe we don’t understand. Sometimes love is one of them.”

**Sounds fake. Eddie isn’t my soulmate.**

“What makes you so sure?”

**Because he would have to like me, too.**

Maria was silent, a sympathetic sort of smile on her face.

“Just give him some time, love. I’m sure things will settle.”

Venom knew she was merely placating them; they had probably ruined any chance of Eddie possibly accepting them after the fiasco he had just experienced in town. Any normal human would surely be running far and wide after witnessing that .

“Speaking of settling,” she added with a yawn. “Why don’t you and I get some shut-eye for now? We can recharge and start fresh in the morning.”

**I will stay awake. To watch out.**

“Alright, dear.” Maria patted their head and pulled down the covers of one of the motel beds, climbing in and stretching out. Venom could immediately sense the comfort and pleasure their host received from this small luxury – they couldn’t remember the last time they’d had a whole bed to sleep in.

Venom curled up on top of Maria’s pillow, glancing toward the windows and front door before letting their gaze settle on the door to the bathroom where they could still hear the shower water running. The thought of being somewhat alone with Eddie made them…nervous? Anxious? There was a strange unease settling inside them and they squirmed a bit, like their host did sometimes when she couldn’t find a comfortable sleeping position. Perhaps their best course of action was to pretend they were sleeping – it wasn’t as though Eddie would be eager to talk to them anyway. Any attempt at conversation on their part would likely only make matters worse.

Maria began snoring not long before Venom heard the running water stop, and a few moments later Eddie walked back out into the shared room, hair wet and a towel around his waist. He glanced over at Maria and Venom closed their eyes, only opening them when they were confident Eddie was turned away again. They watched as he ran his fingers through his hair, observing himself in the mirror above the sink. Humans were funny, the way they always looked at themselves in mirrors – poking and prodding and squeezing their faces as if they were trying to get them to change shape somehow.

Eddie’s face looked exhausted – with good reason, Venom supposed. It still bothered them to see him in that state, knowing that they were partially responsible. If they were in Eddie’s body, they could help him relax, make him sleep – _properly_. They could make his body not hurt, make the dark bags under his eyes go away; they could do _so much_ if only he would –

Venom stopped thinking and tucked themselves closer to Maria. What kind of foolhardy wishful thinking was it to even imagine such a thing happening? Besides, they wouldn’t abandon Maria – how could they?

There was a heavy sigh and then Eddie was sitting on the bed, head in his hands, his shoulders sinking as though under the weight of the absurdity of the day’s events. Venom watched him carefully, but Eddie didn’t move for a good while. They couldn’t tell whether he was thinking, crying, or if he’d simply fallen asleep – until finally the man rose up again and grabbed the underwear he’d been wearing and slipped it back on, tossing the towel on the floor. After another few moments of looking at his sordid reflection, Eddie grabbed a small device from the top of the television and pressed a button to turn it on; flicking off the rest of the lights, he slipped under the covers of his own selected bed and proceeded to watch the box at the lowest volume above mute.

He flipped a few channels, never staying on one for more than a couple minutes; he was chewing on his nails and moving agitatedly – both things were noticeable, and if Venom hadn’t been worried, the actions would have annoyed them.

“ ** _You should sleep, Eddie._** ”

Eddie’s high-pitched yelp was stifled by the hand that the man subsequently clapped over his own mouth. Closing his eyes and exhaling loudly, he looked over at Venom with a sharp glare.

“Don’t do that – you scared the shit outta me!” He whispered just loud enough for Venom to hear, and they supposed he was trying his best not to wake Maria.

“ ** _Sorry_**.” It was a genuine apology. “ ** _You seem agitated._** ”

“Gee, I wonder why.” Eddie settled back against his pillows in an upright position, still flipping aimlessly through the small selection of channels the motel cable offered.

“ ** _Fretting all night will not make you feel better. Sleep is good._** ”

“Thanks, Dr. Alien,” Eddie replied in the tone of voice that Venom knew now was sarcastic, “I’ll definitely take your advice.”

“ ** _We are…sorry, Eddie. Sorry for all of this._** ”

“Yeah, okay.”

Venom rose up slightly, still keeping close to Maria but moving around to see Eddie more clearly.

“ ** _Why don’t you like me, Eddie_**?”

Eddie faltered for a moment, seemingly taken aback by the phrasing of the question.

“Wh – what the f – what do you mean ‘ _why don’t I like you_ ’?”

“ ** _It’s a simple question. You don’t like me. Want to know why._** ”

“Well, I – I wouldn’t really frame it in terms of _like_ or _dislike_ …. But you _are_ in my friend’s body, you _have_ eaten people, and you _did_ just drag me all across the city because we were being chased by goons that were after _you_.”

“ ** _Maria wants me to stay with her. We only eat bad people – she is very strict about that. And we only took you to save your life. Would you have preferred we left you behind, where you would most likely be dragged back to The Life Foundation to be questioned?_** ”

Eddie glared at them again, but this time the look was a little less acerbic. Venom took it as progress.

“ ** _What are you looking for on the television?_** ”

“None of your business.”

“ ** _I can see what you’re watching, anyhow._** ”

“Just be quiet and leave me alone.”

“ ** _I want you to like me, Eddie. Want you to trust me._** ”

Eddie frowned and turned his gaze away from the television to look at Venom in bewilderment.

“Why do you _care_ if I _like_ you? If I trust you? What difference does it make? I’m stuck here either way.”

“ ** _I think being stuck here would be less terrible for you if you liked me a little bit. And because I like_ you _, Eddie._** ”

“You like _me_? Ain’t that a laugh.” Eddie crossed his arms, sighing as he leaned back into his pillows. “What does that say about me, huh? That an alien likes me.”

“ ** _You are good, Eddie. Good to Maria and other people. I’ve seen – in her memories, too. You care about people. You try to help them._** ”

“Yeah, when I still had a show to do that,” Eddie replied bitterly.

“ ** _Don’t need a show, Eddie. It’s_ you _. You do that._** ”

Eddie didn’t reply to that, choosing to consciously stare at the television while some infomercial was playing.

“ ** _You’ve done a lot of good, Eddie. Can see it_**.”

“Yeah, when I had _my show_ ,” Eddie insisted, not taking his eyes off the television.

“ ** _You cannot be a good person without a show? You created the show, Eddie. Your idea. Right?_** ”

“Yeah, but –” Eddie gestured hopelessly. “What can I do now, huh? A guy who lost his career, his relationship, and his apartment all in one day. I’m a nobody.” He shrugged.

“ ** _Not nobody. You’re Eddie._** ”

“Like you would know,” Eddie muttered, shrugging and sinking into the pillows.

There was that nagging feeling, tugging them towards Eddie like it had the first day Venom had met him. The intuition that something significant was there, beneath the surface: a concept that both of them could empathize with and understand.

“ ** _Know you’re lonely, Eddie. Understand_.** _”_

“How would _you_ know anything about loneliness? And who said I was lonely anyway?” Eddie still wasn’t looking at them, arms crossed and eyes focused on the television.

“ ** _I can sense these things. But also it is quite obvious._** ”

“Man, shut the fuck up. You don’t know anything about me.”

“ ** _Would like to, Eddie._** ”

“Well maybe I don’t _want_ you knowin’ stuff about me, huh?” Eddie sniffed and scratched his nose with the bedsheet. “Maybe you’re just – just tryin’ to trick me, huh? Get close and learn all my secrets. That it?”

“ ** _Don’t want to trick you, Eddie._** ”

“Well – you couldn’t anyway,” Eddie stated, his gaze flickering over to them briefly. “I was a damn good investigative reporter. I intuit things.”

“ ** _Very smart, Eddie._** ” Venom grinned, watching Eddie in amusement now. “ ** _I am smart, too_**.”

“Sure,” Eddie remarked. “That’s why you got caught by some goons from a lab and ended up here on this shitty little planet, right?”

Venom pretended to ignore that guilty feeling that cropped up whenever The Life Foundation was mentioned.

“ ** _Smart enough to stay away from Drake once I got here_** ,” Venom hissed back, narrowing their eyes.

Eddie’s mouth opened and then closed, the man blinking at Venom in stunned silence before his face spread out in an incredulous grin.

“You piece of shit,” he scoffed. “Of all the aliens on your planet, I’m stuck with one that’s a smartass, too.”

“ ** _I wasn’t well-liked on my planet, either._** ”

“Wonder why.”

“ ** _I know about loneliness, Eddie_** ,” Venom repeated. “ ** _Maria, too._** ”

“Well I guess she’s not lonely anymore, with you to keep her company, huh?”

Venom frowned slightly.

“ ** _Can’t tell if sarcastic or not._** ”

Eddie raised an eyebrow. “Well I _was_ , but – I guess it’s true.” He shrugged. “You seem to keep her company.”

“ ** _Of course. Maria keeps me company, too. Want to keep_ you _company._** ”

“Don’t need any company, thanks.”

“ ** _You want to be alone, Eddie?_** ”

“Yeah, as of right now, I do,” Eddie replied matter-of-factly. “So – buzz off.”

“ ** _I don’t want to be alone, Eddie._** ” Venom’s voice was soft, candid. “ ** _Don’t want to be lonely._** ”

Eddie gave them another strange look, an expression somewhere between a frown and pure confusion.

“Why you gotta sound like that for?” he said with a sigh.

“ ** _Sound like what, Eddie?_** ”

“Like, like – you know.” Eddie gestured feebly again, shrugging his shoulders as if subsequently ridding himself of a feeling he didn’t want.

“ ** _Will you trust me, Eddie? Please?_** ”

They could see Eddie thinking it over in his head, lips pursed and jaw tight as he looked from the symbiote to Maria and back again.

“Why should I?”

“ ** _Because I want to help. Want to save Maria, and you. Don’t want Drake to win._** ”

“And I’ll ask again – why would you wanna help the two of us, huh?”

“ ** _Care about you. Never cared before. Feeling is nice. Like a home._** ”

“What?” Eddie blinked. “Are we having bad phone conversation? Are you breaking up? Can I get a complete sentence?”

Venom restrained themselves from displaying the annoyance they felt.

“ ** _Hard to explain things sometimes. Human things, don’t understand. Can’t make it into words right._** ”

“So what you’re saying is…you _care_ about us?” Eddie prodded skeptically.

“ ** _Yes. Don’t want anything bad to happen_**.”

“Why do you even like us so much?”

“ ** _Why did you like_ your _person so much?_** ”

“My person –” Eddie paused and then it struck him. “Annie? Annie has – this is nothing like –”

“ ** _I care, Eddie. Like you do._** ”

Their point having been made, Venom curled back up on Maria’s pillow, still casually watching Eddie, who was sitting in stunned confusion.

“You’ve gotta be the weirdest fuckin’ alien I’ve ever met,” he said finally.

“ ** _I would like to know what other aliens you’ve met_**.”

“It’s a – fuck, a figure of speech. Go to bed.”

Eddie irritably turned off the television and lay down, pulling the covers tightly over his shoulders. Venom didn’t move.

“ ** _I promise, Eddie. Won’t let anything bad happen._** ”

“Sure,” Eddie replied without turning around. “I’ll take your word for it, pal.”

 _Pal._ That was a friend word.

“ ** _Goodnight, Eddie_**.”

A heavy silence hung in the air, and Venom internally resigned themselves to accept the meager progress they had made – hoping for anything more would surely be setting themselves up for failure, and they had enough of that to last a lifetime. They were sullenly tucking themselves closer to Maria when they heard a voice from a few feet away.  

“Goodnight.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! I'm so sorry this took longer than normal (at least, I feel like it did), but this chapter kind of stumped me for a bit. But it's finally done, and I think the next one will be much easier. Thank you all so much for sticking with this story so long, I appreciate all of the kudos and feedback I have received :)) You guys are amazing, and this story wouldn't be anything without you!
> 
> As always you can check out my tumblr @venomtots, or my twitter @venom_tots!

Venom didn’t sleep that night. It wasn’t necessary, and they were more focused on watching over the two humans dozing in their respective beds. Humans needed sleep, otherwise they just became tired and cranky. Eddie seemed tired and cranky a lot. Maybe he never got enough sleep.

Said human was currently snoring softly against his pillow, tangled up in the blankets from tossing and turning. Occasionally he would twitch and mumble something unintelligible, his face scrunching up slightly as though he were in pain. Venom knew that it would be easy to quell the nightmares if only they were in Eddie’s head – all it would take was a sneak peek – but they had learnt from Maria that such actions done without permission were considered impolite, and possibly even violating. So they watched as he muttered and rolled about, until finally settling for a while; then Venom observed as Eddie’s chest slowly rose and fell with each breath, his lips slightly parted as he exhaled.

Human bodies were weak and squishy, certainly, but Venom found them oddly fascinating. They had known how breakable and crushable humans were – all of the pathetically simple ways that they could end a person’s life on a whim. To a lot of their kind, humans were disposable meat sacks, their bodies worth less than space dirt. But Venom had learnt a lot about human bodies since bonding with Maria – how warm they could be when they held you, how soft they were and how gentle their touch could be. They had learnt the calming cadence of a steady heartbeat and the comforting echo of a gentle laugh. Humans could be nasty, vile creatures, but they could also be strangely beautiful. 

Eddie reminded Venom of this as they watched him sleep. There were few situations where humans were more vulnerable than when they were sleeping, and this was the first time Venom had seen Eddie in such a position. He acted tough, but the symbiote knew that he was really only scared; the fear wafted off of him like the odor of sweat. Venom understood; they were scared of things, too: things like being captured by The Life Foundation, being separated from Maria, being locked in a glass cage to be leered at by the people poking them with needles.

The calm quiet was interrupted by Eddie recommencing his tossing and turning as he mumbled more gibberish, his legs lazily kicking at the bedsheets. This time Venom decided to move, rising up and migrating to hover near the man’s bed as they watched him. He looked distressed, and there were small beads of sweat on his forehead. It was so tempting to go in, to pry into Eddie’s head and assuage whatever nightmares he was having, but Venom refrained.

Reaching out a couple tendrils, Venom lifted the covers off of Eddie and carefully pulled them down to free his legs, which were still occasionally twitching. As Eddie continued mumbling, they moved to lay on the pillow above his head, carefully tucking themselves in close as they had with Maria. They trailed a tendril down Eddie’s chest, resting it on the spot over his heart and letting the erratic beats pulse against the appendage.

They couldn’t see what was going on in Eddie’s head to properly help him, but they decided to attempt the next best thing. Sending out calming vibrations down the tendril and into Eddie’s body, Venom focused their energy on the pleasant feelings that they had learnt about since being with Maria: the warmth and security of an embrace, the reassurance of not being alone, the kindness of a gentle touch or smile.

Eddie turned his head slightly, mouth twitching as a couple unidentifiable words slurred out.

**Not alone, Eddie. Safe. Here.**

To their surprise, they felt Eddie’s heartbeat slow down after a few moments, and then his chest was rising and falling like normal as his face relaxed and the tension left his body. He mumbled a couple more times before the snoring returned, his head falling limply to the side.

Venom remained in their spot above Eddie’s head, keeping the tendril against his chest. They liked the contact, the warmth of his skin. The symbiote had noticed that Eddie had drawings on his body – lots of them, covering the flesh on part of his arms and chest. They wondered what they all meant, and resolved to ask him when they had a moment alone again.

For now, Venom let him sleep.

* * *

 

Maria woke first the next morning, and Venom briefly abandoned their place on Eddie’s pillow to curl around her neck as she got up. She chuckled and patted them gently.

“How’d it go last night, hm? Any intruders?”

**No one. We are safe.**

“Thanks, love.” She gave them a smile before yawning and stretching with a groan. “That’s some of the best sleep I’ve had in ages. And I’ll bet it’ll feel even better once I’ve had a shower. Ooh,” she sighed somewhat blissfully. “Haven’t had one of those in a while.”

**Why do you need to? I can take care of that for you.**

“Sure, and I appreciate it. But nothing beats a nice hot shower with some soap and bubbles. You could join me – I don’t think you’ve ever had a proper bath,” she teased.

**I do not need to bathe.**

“Sure, sure. Stay out here and keep watch then. Eddie seems to be out pretty hard, so he won’t be much help if anything happens.” She gave Venom a knowing smile. “Look after him for me, yeah?”

**Of course.**

Maria disappeared into the bathroom, leaving the door open just a crack. The sound of running water soon followed, and Venom could hear her humming to herself. They returned to Eddie’s pillow, peering over the top of his head to watch the rise and fall of his chest. There hadn’t been any more nightmares during the night, and Venom couldn’t help but notice how peaceful Eddie looked while sleeping peacefully. The crinkles in his face relaxed, his lips parted slightly and his eyelashes softly brushing his cheeks; humans had a fragile, delicate sort of beauty, and Venom didn’t think they’d ever recognized it as much as now.

Part of them knew that this image would fade as soon as Eddie woke up – as soon as he remembered where he was and what _they_ were, and why he was in this mess in the first place – but they savored the moment for as long as they could.

The moment lasted for approximately five more minutes, at which point Eddie began to stir, and Venom left his pillow to rest at the bottom of the bed – still close, but hopefully much less alarming for Eddie. They were in what they hoped was their most amicable form – soft and squishy, with large wide eyes and no teeth. Maria always cooed at them when they looked like that, and though they’d never admit it they did find it rather endearing.

They watched as Eddie sat up, stretching slightly and cracking a few joints as he yawned. He blinked and looked around the room, glancing first at Maria’s bed and then at the bathroom door, before his eyes came to rest on the small alien sitting calmly at the foot of his bed.

“JES –” Eddie began to swear but caught himself, placing a hand to his chest and exhaling. “You gotta – quit doin’ that.”

“ ** _Doing what, Eddie?_** ”

“Th… _that_.” Eddie gestured vaguely.

“ ** _Existing?_** ”

Rolling his eyes, Eddie scoffed.

“No, obviously, that’s not what I mean. Just – I dunno, shit, I don’t expect to see a…well, an _alien_ when I wake up.”

“ ** _Did you forget I was here?_** ”

“ _No_ , god –” Eddie sighed and drug a flat palm down his face in what Venom could sense was exasperation.

“ ** _Sorry, Eddie. How would you prefer I present myself to you?_** ”

“I mean it’d be cool if you didn’t present at all,” Eddie muttered, but then he looked promptly taken aback. “Shit, no – I didn’t mean that. That was a mean thing to say.” He shook his head and sighed, looking down at Venom apologetically as the small alien shrunk a bit. “I’m just…extra cranky because it’s morning, I guess. Forgive me?”

He held out a hand, and then seemed to realize how awkward it was – but before he could draw it back, Venom had extended a tendril and pressed it softly into the man’s palm. Eddie’s eyebrows raised in surprise at first, but then he laughed, hand closing gently around the tendril and moving it up and down in the guise of a handshake.

“ ** _Forgiven, Eddie._** ”

Eddie’s hand was warm and soft, and Venom tentatively curled a tendril around it, wishing that they could touch more of Eddie, that Eddie would touch more of them – how nice it would feel to be wrapped up in his arms the way Maria held them. They couldn’t explain where that desire or need came from; it was almost instinctual, as natural to Venom as knowing when they were hungry.

But all too soon Eddie’s hand was pulling away and Venom shrunk the tendril back reluctantly.

“Thanks. I’ll be better after I’ve had some coffee,” Eddie added, groaning as he stood up from the bed.

Venom watched as Eddie stood up and pulled on the jeans he had worn the day before.  He remained shirtless for the moment as he went over to the sink and turned on the tap, rinsing his mouth out with water before splashing some across his face with a satisfied sigh.

The drawings on Eddie’s body moved as he did, rippling gently as his muscles relaxed and contracted in a visual symphony. Venom watched them with fascination and curiosity, following the lines attentively with their eyes.

“ ** _Eddie_**. ** _What do those drawings mean?_** ”

“Huh?” Eddie turned around in the midst of wiping his face on a paper towel. “Drawings?”

“ ** _On your body._** ”

“Oh.” Eddie looked down, almost laughing to himself. “They’re just tattoos.”

“ ** _What do they mean?_** ”

“Well.” Eddie shrugged, tossing the paper towel away. “It depends. Each one has a kind of – different meaning.”

“ ** _Why did you get them?_** ”

“ _Well_ , I just wanted them. Sometimes if I wanted to, I dunno –” he gestured vaguely, “-remember somethin’ that meant a lot to me, I’d get a tattoo. That way it’d be a little more permanent. Kinda like a photograph, y’know?”

“ ** _But on your body instead. Permanent._** ”

“Yeah, that’s the idea.” Eddie was searching his pockets, finally pulling out a small rectangle that Venom recognized as a cellphone. He pressed a few buttons on it, looking slightly worried, and then sighed heavily. “Well, phone is drenched.”

“ ** _Can you not dry it?_** ”

Eddie gave a laugh that Venom wasn’t quite sure whether it was supposed to be mean-spirited or not.

“No, that’s…not how it works, unfortunately.”

Tossing the cellphone down on the table, Eddie sat back down on the bed with a heavy sigh and turned toward the bedside table, his gaze fixed on the motel phone resting on top. Venom watched him curiously as he simply sat there, staring at the device as if he was willing it to move.

“ ** _What are you doing, Eddie?_** ”

“Nothing.”

“ ** _Want to call someone?_** ”

“No – Just, shut up.”

He seemed to be internally debating with himself, hands wringing anxiously in his lap.

“ ** _Who do you want to call?_** ”

“No one – get off my case.”

His fingers twitched anxiously as he seemed to want to reach for the phone, but finally, with a heavy sigh, Eddie stood up again and began pacing the room. He pulled out another item from his pocket, a thicker rectangle that was made of leather. Venom recognized it as a wallet – that thing that humans keep their money in. Eddie was looking through his, making a face as he pulled out a couple damp bills to examine before pushing them back into the wallet.

“Well, we have some money left at least. It won’t get us far, but it’s something. Can’t use a card in case stupid Drake is tracking it.”

Maria came out of the bathroom at that moment; she was wearing a towel and her wet hair dripped down her arms and onto the floor, but she looked refreshed and clean.

“Good morning, Eddie.” She offered her usual bright smile. “Did you sleep well?”

“As good as any other time,” Eddie replied with a small shrug. “You?”

“Fantastic, Eddie. I had forgotten how comfy an actual bed was.”

“Right.” Eddie cleared his throat a bit awkwardly, clearly having forgotten.

“Did you two bond while I was gone?” she joked, gathering her clothes from the floor and proceeding to dress herself as Eddie kept his gaze directed elsewhere.

“What?” Eddie scoffed, glancing at Venom who was simply watching him with wide, opal eyes. “Don’t go gettin’ crazy ideas, Maria.”

“Is it so crazy to want the two of you to get along?” she replied innocently, adjusting her clothes slightly in the mirror before turning back to the two sitting on the bed. “At least you’re not screaming in fear this time.”

“Yeah, I’m all screamed out. Sorry.”

Venom was reluctant to leave their place beside Eddie on the bed, but nonetheless moved and drifted over to Maria, resting around her neck and shoulders like a scarf.

“Thanks, love.”

She smiled and patted the alien, glancing over to Eddie.

“So. What’s the plan for today?” she asked casually.

“The _plan_?” Eddie repeated incredulously. “Since when am _I_ coming up with a plan?”

“Just thought maybe you guys had come up with something while I was busy.” She shrugged.

“Yeah, no – _we_ didn’t come up with anything.”

“ ** _We probably should_** ,” Venom interjected, “ ** _if we want to keep away from Drake and his men._** ”

“What are we supposed to do exactly? Just hop from motel to motel until we either run out of money or get caught?”

“Do you have a better plan?”

Eddie crossed his arms and shifted, looking frustrated but unable to argue.

“This is great,” he muttered. “Can’t go back to my apartment, can’t stay here. What are we just – living on the streets from now on?”

“Well that’s only a change for one of us,” Maria pointed out.

Eddie’s expression immediately softened into regret.

“Shit, Maria – I didn’t think. I’m sorry –”

Maria shook her head and held up a hand.

“Don’t be sorry, Eddie. We don’t have time.” She offered him a sympathetic smile. “I know this is hard for you, and I’m sorry. But we’ll make it right. Until then, I can get us through this.”

“Not that I don’t have faith in you, but…exactly _how_ are we gonna get through this? Maybe you know how to live on the streets, but I’m pretty sure you didn’t have a bunch of guys trying to hunt you down before.”

“Sure, that’s a bit new.” Maria shrugged. “Could be worse.”

“ _How_ could it be _worse_?”

“Don’t worry about it. Anyway, I know plenty of places we can stay that are free and off the radar. But first…” she sighed, glancing down at Venom and then back to Eddie, looking slightly apologetic. “We’re _really_ hungry.”

 


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, a million apologies for how atrociously long this one took. I've been in a slump lately and with the holiday mess and a general wintertime lack of energy or enthusiasm, it was very hard to get myself motivated. I'm still taking things slow and trying not to overexert myself, but hopefully this story will keep moving forward smoothly. Thank you all so much for your patience and continued support, it all means an incredible deal. I know I have lots of comments to get to, and I will do my best to answer them in the next few days :))
> 
> As always, I hope you enjoy this chapter! Remember you can also follow me on tumblr @venomtots, or on twitter @venom_tots. Much love and good wishes!
> 
> Much thanks to the anon and subsequent replies on tumblr that informed me of the fact that there is lots of livestock you can buy to eat in San Francisco! I tried to incorporate it to the best of my ability, but I've never set foot in SF in my life so I apologise if anything is off!
> 
> **WARNING for this particular chapter, as there is a brief scene of animal death with a semi-graphic description. You should see it coming so feel free to skip that little bit if you need to avoid it.**

“I _cannot_ believe I am doing this.”

Eddie was leaning up against the building behind him, head tilted back and eyes closed as he sighed.

“It’s okay, Eddie,” Maria assured him. “We’ve done this sort of thing before.”

“Because that’s supposed to make me feel better, right?”

“ ** _This would be a lot easier if you would just let us eat the bad humans._** ”

“You are _not_ eating _people_!” Eddie hissed, carefully peeking around the corner of the alleyway the three of them were currently lurking in.

“ ** _We cannot afford to be picky right now, Eddie._** ”

“And we _also_ can’t afford to raise more suspicion and make it easier for Drake’s men to find us by _eating people_!”

“ ** _Won’t raise suspicion if there’s nothing left afterward_** ,” Venom pointed out, and Eddie made a face.

“There are plenty of other options around here besides _people_.”

They stepped out onto the sidewalk, glancing around to ensure they weren’t being followed before starting a casual walking pace.

“But Eddie,” Maria protested a bit softly. “Those poor, defenseless animals…”

“You’ve eaten _people_!” Eddied retorted incredulously under his breath.

“Only _bad_ people…. The animals never did anything bad to anyone.”

She visibly pouted, and Eddie rolled his eyes.

“Look.” He stopped walking for a moment to turn and address Maria. “You’re hungry, and E.T. there inside you needs some chemical found in brains, right?”

“ _Human_ brains, Eddie –”

“Well we’ll just have to see if animals work too.”

Venom resisted the urge to complain, staying quiet inside of Maria as they entered one of the nearby livestock stores. The ding of a bell signaled their arrival, and the Chinese shop owner merely glanced up at them briefly before going back to his business.

“Cool. No one’s looking at us too closely,” Eddie breathed. “Let’s hurry up and get this over with.”

They walked among the rows of cages, and Venom curiously watched the small animals as they squawked and ruffled their feathers. It was noisy and cramped and they didn’t like it. At least when selecting human prey, it was usually quiet and they could properly think to themselves.

“What are we feelin’?” Eddie asked casually, even as he still reeked of fear and anxiety. “Chicken? Duck? Uh…rabbit?”

 **Rabbit is good** , Venom announced to Maria. **Easier without a bunch of feathers.**

“Rabbit will do,” Maria relayed. “We should get at least two.”

“Bugs Bunny it is,” Eddie declared.

The shop owner eyed them a bit as they stood at the counter, but he rang them up wordlessly, handing Eddie back a small amount of change.

“Do you want a cage?”

“I’m sorry?” Eddie replied.

“Would you like a cage? For the rabbits.”

Venom watched as Eddie glanced behind the counter to a row of cages, each with a handmade price tag hanging from it. They were apparently more than their budget, because Eddie shook his head.

“No thanks.” He offered a smile that looked confident, but he was still leaking fear like a faulty gas pipe.

Maria and Eddie each carried a rabbit back around to the alley, slinking and crouching behind a large dumpster. Eddie looked around for any potential bystanders before giving a deep exhale.

“Alright. Let’s get this over with.”

“Oh, but Eddie,” Maria cooed, holding the rabbit up to her face. “How can I eat something this cute?”

“Are you a vegetarian, Maria?”

“No…”

“Well, all the hamburgers you’ve ever eaten used to have a cute face, too. We don’t have time for sentimentality.”

“Fine.”

Maria sighed, and she barely issued the nonverbal command before Venom materialized over the upper half of her body, mouth lurching forward and snatching the rabbit in their maw. They were vaguely aware of a gagging noise and Eddie abruptly looking away as the bones of the animal crunched between their teeth.

“ ** _More…_** ” Venom growled, and Eddie all but tossed the second rabbit into their claws.

When they were finished, Venom sank back into Maria’s skin as she straightened up and wiped her mouth.

“Thanks, Eddie. We’re sorry about that.”

“Yeah, sure.”

Eddie looked a bit pale, and seemed to purposely be avoiding eye contact. Venom was suddenly overcome with a sinking feeling, and immediately regretted their moment of savagery. If they had been on the way to gaining Eddie’s favor before, this had surely set them back. It had no doubt reminded him of what they _really_ were: a monster. No amount of big eyes and cute squishiness could erase _that_ memory.

“Alright, well, I _was_ hungry,” Eddie said. “Never mind that.”

“You should still eat something, Eddie,” Maria coaxed. “Gotta keep up your strength.”

“We’ll worry about that later. First we need to think about the long term.” Eddie stopped and leaned against one of the buildings, hands in his pockets. “What are we gonna do? Stay in hiding forever? Drake’s men are gonna find us eventually.”

“Then I guess we’ll have to find them first.”

Eddie raised his eyebrows.

“You’re suggesting we go _to_ The Life Foundation?” he asked slowly, as if hardly daring to believe the possibility.

“Someone has to stop Drake from what he’s doing, right?” Maria shrugged and crossed her arms. “If they aren’t going to stop coming after us, then we’ll stop them ourselves.”

“Maria…” Eddie sighed, reaching up and pinching the bridge of his nose. “You don’t just ‘go after’ someone like Drake.” He walked over to Maria, locking his steady gaze with hers. “He is a very, _very_ dangerous man. Look at me – I interviewed the guy _once_ , and he took _everything_ from me. He could destroy us both with a snap of his fingers.”

“Are you afraid, Eddie?”

“What?” Eddie sputtered, looking taken aback. “I’m not _afraid_ , I’m _sensible._ I learned my lesson, alright? I’m…done.”

He turned around, walking away in no particular direction.

“What else do you have to lose, Eddie?”

Eddie stopped, standing immobile for a few moments before turning back around with a frown drawn on his face.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You said Drake took everything from you – your job, your relationship, your apartment. What else do you have to lose?”

“Everything, Maria! I can – I can come back from this. But not if I go around trying to take down this asshole again!”

 **He is scared** , Venom stated matter-of-factly. **He’s been scared this whole time.**

Maria gave Eddie a sympathetic look.

“I know it’s scary, Eddie. I’m scared too, and I have a lot less to lose. But didn’t you become a reporter _because_ you wanted to stop people like this? Because you wanted to make the world a better place? You gave a voice to people who didn’t have one. These aliens, Eddie – and the people they’re using – they don’t have a voice. Someone has to help. If not us, then who?”

Eddie crossed his arms and shifted his feet, looking down at the ground.

“Where would we even begin? All his goons are out there looking for us. We can’t exactly waltz in and ask for a meet-and-greet.”

“We’ll come up with a plan. Don’t forget – we’ve got a bulletproof alien on our side.”

She smiled, and Eddie’s expression seemed to relax a bit.

“But first we need to get you some people food.”

“We don’t have much money left,” Eddie sighed, shoving his hands in his pockets a bit dejectedly. “I hate to say it, but…we’re gonna need help.”

“Where are we gonna get help?” Maria asked curiously.

“I know someone. Maybe.” 

* * *

 

Venom didn’t recognize the apartment they were standing in front of, but it clearly meant something to Eddie, as he was sweating and shifting nervously the entire time after ringing the doorbell. He smelled like fear still, but also something else: a hint of shame and embarrassment.

There was silence for a few moments until the door opened to reveal a blond woman in a tasteful skirt and blouse. She looked at Eddie with a mixture of incredulity and confusion, her gaze flickering back and forth between him and Maria for a few moments until she finally spoke.

“Eddie, what is this?”

“Look, Annie, I’m sorry to come here like this, but we need your help. Can we -” Eddie fervently glanced around as if to make sure no one was observing them too closely. “Can we come in?”

**Annie? That woman used to be with Eddie!**

Maria nodded imperceptibly, making a small noise of affirmation that only Venom could hear.

The woman called Annie looked hesitant, but she opened the door after what seemed like a minute of internal deliberation. Eddie darted inside, pulling Maria with him and stopping only when they were in the safety of the living room. There was another man on the sofa watching TV, who looked up in surprise when the two guests entered.

“Eddie?”

“Hey, Dan.” Eddie’s smile was awkward, as was the small wave of acknowledgment he gave.

“Eddie, will you tell me what’s going on?” Anne demanded, visibly flustered. “Did you get in some kind of trouble?”

“Okay, so – I know this is going to sound crazy…” Eddie looked from Anne to Dan, both of whom were watching him with the rapt attention one might give a madman on speed. “There’s been a sort of…” He hesitated, glancing to Maria. “It’s kind of… a problem. A sort of…big problem. A problem one might be…concerned about.”

Anne rolled her eyes.

“Would you get to the point? I don’t have time for this, Eddie.” She crossed her arms. “Do you owe money? Did you get kicked out of your place?”

“No!” Eddie responded, his tone defensive. “I mean, we do…need money though. And I sort of…can’t go back to my place.”

“What?! Why?!”

“Well, it’s a bit, uh…difficult to…explain. And it’s gonna sound crazy.”

“Try me.” Anne pursed her lips tightly, her gaze hard and penetrating.

“Okay, well… uh, Maria here, she, uh…there’s this thing…” Eddie stumbled over his words, gesturing sporadically with his hands with the fervor of a conspiracy theorist.

Eddie was kind, but he was awkward. Venom might have taken pity on him, if they weren’t on the run from an entire organization and its leading madman.

Before the man could sputter out any more filler words, Venom proceeded to materialize from Maria’s chest, hovering calmly next to her as they observed the scene.

“ ** _I just thought we might want to speed this up, since time is of the essence right now._** ”

It took a moment, as the two previously ignorant humans in the room became aware of the extraterrestrial being manifesting from Maria’s body, but then Anne promptly screamed and Dan jumped up from the couch as if it had suddenly electrocuted him.

Venom looked to Eddie, who seemed positively horrified, and gave a grin.

“ ** _Sorry. You were taking too long. Figured this was easier._** ”

“Annie, Annie don’t panic –” Eddie began cautiously, reaching out tentatively toward Anne as though worried she might flee.

“‘ _Don’t panic_ ’?!” she repeated indignantly. “Eddie, what **_is that_**?!”

“That, uh…well, that’s kind of…our problem.” Eddie gave a nervous laugh and sheepishly gestured toward Venom.

“ ** _Our problem isn’t me, it’s Carlton Drake,_** ” Venom protested a bit huffily.

“Carlton Drake?” Anne asked, her voice slightly breathless. “What _now_ , Eddie? What did you do?”

“Me? I didn’t do anything!” Eddie protested. “They’re the ones after _us_! Because of _them_!” He pointed to Venom again.

“I don’t believe this.” Anne pressed her fingers against her temples and closed her eyes, as though trying to will away the situation. “This is not happening. This is just…not happening.”

Dan, meanwhile, had sidled a bit closer to Venom and Maria, and was watching the symbiote with a sort of fascinated observance.

“Eddie, this is –” he hesitantly pointed to Venom, still keeping a safe distance. “This is a real, honest-to-god alien?”

“Yeah, Dan,” Eddie replied, his voice tired and defeated. “It’s an alien.”

“This is…this is fascinating.” A broad grin spread across Dan’s face as he studied Venom up and down, craning his neck to see every visible part of them. “An alien that lives inside a human? Is it like a host? I’ve never seen anything like it – I mean, obviously, I’ve never seen an alien, but… _wow_.”

“Glad you’re enthused, Dan, but we don’t really have time to marvel at all the scientific wonders here. We’re kind of on a time crunch.”

“Right, of course. Sorry. What’s going on, Eddie?”

Dan’s tone was much more patient than Anne’s. Venom decided they liked him, whether Eddie did or not.

“I was _right_ , Annie,” Eddie declared almost triumphantly. “Carlton Drake is bad. He’s experimenting on homeless people, and he’s using these aliens to do it.”

“ _What_? How do you know that?”

“Well, we had our…suspicions. Which were confirmed when a bunch of goons from The Life Foundation chased us around the city with guns and drones, trying to get _this one_.” He pointed to Venom.

“Wha…”

“That was yesterday. We’ve been laying low since. But we don’t really have money and I can’t use a card because I’m sure that son of a bitch is tracking everything.”

“Wait…wait, wait, _wait._ ” Anne held up her hands, looking from Venom to Eddie with an expression like something was slowly coming together. “Was all that commotion downtown _you_?”

“What, was it on the news?”

“Not really…. People were posting things on social media, about seeing a… _monster_. A big one. There were explosions, and crashes – my god, Eddie, what have you gotten into?!”

“If it wasn’t on the news, that means they’re trying to keep it quiet,” Eddie mused. “They don’t want anyone to know about the aliens or the whole scheme they’ve got going.”

“And what scheme is that?” Anne asked, hands on her hips and looking both exasperated and worried.

“We don’t know exactly. We’re guessing they’re having humans bond with aliens like Venom did with Maria.”

“What – Venom? Its…its name is…Venom?” Anne blinked a few times in stunned silence before letting out a hefty sigh and collapsing on the couch. “I’m losing my mind…”

“Also, uh – don’t call them an ‘it’,” Eddie offered. “They’re kind of touchy about it.”

“Right.” Anne gave a small hysterical laugh. “It’s a person. The alien is a person.”

Dan looked between the three other humans in the room and awkwardly cleared his throat. “Well, uh…now that we’ve gotten all the…introductions out of the way-” He clasped his hands together and offered a doctorly smile. “Anyone want tea? I think tea sounds good right now.”


End file.
